Farmers have the first corn and soybeans in the ground

XtremeAg's Matt Miles plants his first corn and beans in Arkansas while Kelly Garrett and Kevin Matthews get their planters ready to hit the field.

MATT MILES - MCGEHEE, ARKANSAS

Matt Miles is a fourth-generation farmer in southeast Arkansas who grows corn, soybeans, rice, and cotton.

February is about over and the biggest question I have been getting is, "Have you planted any beans?" We have been really wet this month so in my mind, it was only a pipe dream this year.

We have been unseasonably warm, so we wanted to try and get a corn and bean field in ultra-early in 2023 to do more research since last year's project was a great success.

We finally caught a break on Feb. 20 and found a small 28-acre field to try the soybeans on. Then on Feb. 22, we planted a 44-acre corn field with the intentions of planting a second bean crop behind this corn.

As mentioned, last year was a success, but one year of data never convinces me to move forward with a project. Due to the crazy weather in Arkansas, we need two to four years of consistent data. Conditions were excellent when we planted, but we are getting a cold snap in the next couple of days. This will be fun to keep everyone updated on the progress. Hopefully by the next blog, I will be talking about stand counts.

KELLY GARRETT - ARION, IOWA

A fifth-generation farmer, Kelly Garrett farms corn, soybeans, and winter wheat in western Iowa.

We are working on all our planters this week. While they're in the shop we're putting on different parallel arms and precision parts to update our row units. All the maintenance that needs to be completed for planting is happening right now.

We had the folks from Demco come down on Friday to install our new Sidequest tanks. The tanks allow us to carry more fertilizer, which means less down time filling up. We are all about investing in any equipment and technology that will allow us to increase efficiency in the field. Every little bit makes a difference when you have this many acres to cover in a few weeks.

We are starting to bring in some spring fertility products, including a nitrogen product from AgroLiquid that we are trying for the first time in our 2x2. It is more efficient than UAN, and with the tanks we will be able to do 70 acres a load instead of 50.

KEVIN MATTHEWS - EAST BEND, NORTH CAROLINA

Kevin and his wife, Cindy, own and operate Matthews Family Farms of North Carolina, Inc., Precision Nutrient Management, Inc., and Deep Creek Grain, Inc. in East Bend and Yadkinville.

After a long time, we've had multiple days in a row with partial sunshine and no rain. Every minute possible has been spent in the field preparing ditch crossings, mowing field borders, spraying wheat, and spreading fertilizer. This week is forecasted to be rainy again.

The first planter has gone through the shop. As planters are cleaned before being stored, a list is made for each planter of repairs/maintenance that will be needed before the next season. We have found this method to really help us plan our repair/maintenance budget and prevent overlooking details from the previous season.

Part of our crew spent time at the National Farm Machinery Show in Kentucky talking with companies we work with to learn more about their products and finding tools that add ease to common tasks. We had a great time.

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