b"Will Soybeans Take Over Corn? Experts Say NoThough corn acreage was down this year, high input costs seem to be the culprit. Alex MartinIN JULY,the USDA Nationalmake that shift.Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)Was it a smart decision? Well, it followed up on the USDA Prospectivedepends on the rainfalls you got, as prices Plantings report released in March tohave continued to remain at higher levels.survey fields after seeding was finishedThe economics of corn at this point and summer was underway.probably look a little better than they did This year, one of the findings was dif- prior to the season, Nielsen says, noting ferent than normal for the U.S.afterits always a gamble looking ahead of the surveying around 9,100 segments of landgame in terms of economics. You roll and 64,000 farm operators during June,the dice ahead of the season thinking you NASS estimated 89.9 million acres of cornknow how to play the game, and in some was planted in the U.S. while 88.3 millioncases, too many people roll the dice to acres of soybeans were planted. In termsmove into soybeans, and suddenly corn of percentages, that means there was 4%looks a little bit better.less corn planted in 2022 than 2021, andIt's important to keep in mind other 1% more soybean acres this year.regions and their corn seasons as wellWhile corn has always been king ofparticularly in South America. Last Nielsen the crop in the U.S., from the reports, itBob Nielsen is known around Purdueheard, Argentina was facing particularly seemed like growers were starting to favorUniversity as The Corn Guy. dry planting conditions, and concern soybeans more in the field. But, one of thewhether or not theyll get the first crop in.caveats with the estimates is failing to seeArgentina has a two-option strat-the reasoning behind decisions in the field. Service, fertilizer prices on July 14 wereegy for growing cornthey either grow So why was there a downturn in corn$1,469 per ton for anhydrous ammonia,a normal season corn, which is in the this year? Experts believe it was due to$983 per ton for diammonium phosphateprocess of planting now, or they have corns input costs and inflation throughout(DAP), and $862 per ton for potash.increasingly gone to putting in a very the year. Adding onto that, according to Universitylate crop of corn thats planted say more What drove that shift in corn acre- of Illinoiss Nitrogen Fertilizer Outlook forlike December or early January as a way age and soybean acreage here in Indiana2023 Decisions says all of those pricesto manage their risk of midseason dry was almost exclusively economics, sayswere increased in comparison to the previ- conditions, he says. Thats whats going Bob Nielsen, Purdue University Extensionous yearanhydrous ammonia priceson now because its so drythere may corn specialist and professor of agronomy,have increased from $726 per ton onbe even more corn put into that second noting that grain priceswhile excep- July 15, 2021, an increase of $743 per ton.category of delayed, which makes the tional for both corn and soybeanswereDAP has increased from $688 per ton, anmarkets uneasy when they hear about slightly more in favor of soybeans this year.increase of $295 per ton. Potash has risenpeople delaying planting of corn. Thats More importantly, there was a runfrom $481 per ton, an increase of $381. kept the corn market pretty good here in up in input costs for corn compared toNitrogen is roughly twice as highthe States as we go into harvest.soybeans prior to the beginning of theas the previous year, herbicide costsThough, it still hinges on how yield season, Nielsen adds. That led a lot ofand seed costs were up, Nielsen says.performs in the U.S. as harvest continues. people to shift more acres into soybeansBecause corn requires quite a few moreNo matter the decision though, Nielsens and fewer in to corn, as a response toinputs, particularly on the fertility sidesure of one thing. those high inputs. than soybeans do, that lead a lot of farm- Corn will remain the king in the U.S., According to the Agricultural Marketingers ahead of the season to go ahead andhe says.SW12/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2022"