From the SC Commissioner of Agriculture: Nationwide expected corn planting acreage is up 6%, if actual planting it will be the highest since 2013 and the third
highest planted acreage since 1944. Soybean acreage expected to be about the same. Wheat acreage down about 9%, cotton acreage up 11%. In SC, corn acreage up
8%, soybeans down 7%. Wheat in SC 53% of 2015. There was historic flooding rains and wet conditions lingered into the planting season last fall.(SC is a winter
wheat area)
In another area there was an article in the most recent Progressive Farmer magazine about Nebraska cattlemen leasing corn stubble for grazing. Win-win
situation, cattlemen get fairly cheap grazing, corn farmer gets some cash and the cows convert stubble into instant fertilizer. I don't know how long it takes
ordinarily for the corn stubble to decay enough to be available for plant food. That system would not work so well in the SE because when corn is harvested the
weather is still warm enough for grass to be still available, and by the time winter comes the corn stalks will have decayed to the point of losing their food
value. Anyway, often the corn stubble is plowed and small grain planted.
KEH
