Profiting in 2024
With the 2023 growing season in the books it is time to prepare a profitable 2024 crop year. When pricing products for 2024, consider the return of investment on each product. I have rarely seen input cuts lead to prosperity. As we are looking at products for 2024, we need to look at what value that product will bring to your operation, and what may be lost in returns if that product is cut from your agronomy plan. Trying to decrease expenses may also cut profits from the bottom line. Little has changed in the overall makeup of corn and soybean production, and we must do anything that we can to keep that competitive edge on our neighbors.
Some things to look at while procuring 2024 inputs for your acres:
Benefits start with a seed that will produce top end yields. Taking advantage of any growing conditions that we may experience in 2024. Seed should also have traits to help as needed to optimize yields. It should handle insects, weed, fungi, and irregular rainfall.
We must apply adequate, properly-placed fertilizer on your farm to optimize crop growth and development. Going with rates below optimum return only cheats yourself on yield potential. This includes N, P, K, S, and micronutrients needed to optimize yields. VRT application also allows fertilizer to be applied where needed on your farm to add value to each acre of your operations land. We have exciting options in VRT fertilizer at SFG using yield potential, CSR, soil types, and soil test information. Combing this information gives us the capability to spread fertilizer more accurately than ever before on your acres, optimizing returns across your entire farm.
Keep your fields clean to prevent weeds from robbing yield from your crops. Keep the weed bank under control for future years. One-pass chemical programs have failed many times in the past, so there is no reason to think that anything other than a two-pass program with multiple modes of action will control weed pressure this year. The weeds don’t care if chemicals are hard to find or if pricing has increased.
Protect your crops against disease and insects with fungicide, insecticide, seed treatment, and other forms of disease and insect protection. Fungicide and insecticide have had proven returns on soybeans for the last several years. With last year’s appearance of tar spot, fungicides are going to be even more vital to protect our corn yields.
Talk to your local SFG agronomist to help you put your agronomy plan together for 2024, and keep that competitive edge over your neighbor.