Special Report

Anxiously awaiting planting season

With spring just around the corner, an Illinois soybean farmer says he’s ready for the 2015 planting season.

Duane Dahlman farms near Marengo, Illinois (in northern Illinois) says the first thing he is looking at is weather, “We have had good snowfall this winter and we have good soil moisture content.”

He tells Brownfield he’s looking forward to getting out in the field.  “This time of year I’m always excited,” he says.  “I’m really excited to start the season and the miracle we call plant growth.”

Dahlman says his planting intentions haven’t been influenced too much by lower commodity prices.  “The only thing that is going to change my planting intentions now are weather issues in the season,” he says.  “If I have to switch some hybrids around depending on planting dates and if it gets too late I may have to switch some corn to soybeans.”

But, he says, those are decisions that will likely be made when the time comes.