#Plant2025 for Success
You’ve weighed the agronomics and the economics — and now the planter is rolling. The decisions don’t stop, though. The weather changes plans, equipment breaks and pests pop up. Every step plays a role in the success of your planting season as well as the growing and harvest seasons to come.
NOAA and CPC issue an official El Niño watch with a 62% chance of forming by late summer. Meteorologist Drew Lerner explains why it’s coming sooner than expected, but warns the extreme forecasts may be overstated. What it could mean for global crops this year.
Fertilizer prices were already elevated, but they’re now surging just weeks before spring planting. What can be done to ease costs in the short term as well as fix the problem for good?
A wet, active weather pattern across the Eastern Corn Belt could delay early planting this spring. Meteorologist Matt Griffin says repeated rain events through March and April may keep fields too saturated for fieldwork east of Iowa.
The situation in Iran drove fertilizer prices higher this week while raising shortage fears. Analysts warn higher input costs could shift up to 1 million 1.5 million acres from corn to soybeans this spring.
USDA is urging farmers to respond to 2026 acreage surveys as skepticism grows over recent corn acreage revisions. Officials say stronger participation is key to maintaining the accuracy and credibility of crop reports.
As La Niña Looks to Make One of Its Quickest Exits on Record, Strong El Niño Signals Are Now Brewing
Pacific waters are warming rapidly as La Niña fades. Meteorologists warn the shift could reshape U.S. rainfall, drought conditions and severe weather risk during the 2026 growing season.
After a dry, unusually warm January, key Western river basins are in severe snow drought. With irrigation allocations at 0%, one Colorado producer warns tough planting decisions could reshape this year’s crop mix.
According to the National Cotton Council’s (NCC) Planting Intentions Survey, U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 9.0 million cotton acres this spring, a 3.2% decline from 2025, with a nearly 21% drop in the Mid-South.
Despite shifting market signals, some economists predict corn will remain the undisputed king of the acreage race.
How quickly will La Niña exit this year, and when will El Niño enter the picture? Not all meteorologists agree with NOAA or one another, but the timing could have a major impact on weather this spring and summer.