MONROE - Soybean prices are up significantly this year and have led farmers nationwide to plant record numbers of the tiny bean, but farmers in Green and Lafayette counties are sticking with corn.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers planted 84.8 million acres of soybeans nationally, which was nearly 11 percent more than last year's 76.5 million acres. Corn was planted nationally on 91.6 million acres, nearly 4 percent less than last year's 95.4 million acres.
Local numbers from 2014 are not yet available, but last year Green County planted 46,800 acres of soybeans, which was down from 46,900 acres in 2012. Lafayette County planted 43,600 acres of soybeans in 2013 compared to 47,100 in 2012.
Corn still more than doubles the acres of soybeans in Green County, coming in at 111,000 acres in 2013. Lafayette County had 149,000 acres last year, down from 151,000 in 2012. Despite corn's low price at about $4.19 per bushel as of Monday, Green County Agriculture Agent Mark Mayer said it is still a popular crop for siloage and regular harvest.
"I don't think we will see the day where soybeans pass corn," he said.
Mayer said soybean crops have been growing more popular, but this wasn't always the case. Mayer said before 1950 there were no soybeans planted in Green County. He said one of the contributing factors to the surge of soybeans is China's need for the protein to feed their pigs. This in turn has sent the price per bushel up to $10.94 as of Monday.
Lee Craigo of Craigo Grain Co. Inc. said there was a slight uptick in the number of bean seeds he sold but that overall, corn remains the top commodity.
"If you'd have asked me in February, I'd of said, "Oh yeah, beans is where it's at,' but with that harsh winter it actually helped us to plant corn and loosened up the soil," Craigo said.
Craigo said many of the farmers he works with used to do a 50-50 rotation of corn to soybeans each year to let the soil recover. Now he said it's more like 60-40, favoring corn.
Mayer said the amount of rain lately that has pooled up in fields and waterlogged some crops could actually be good news for farmers. The excess moisture will likely dry up in the coming month, but some of it could stick around. According to weather.com, the 10-day forecast predicts a relatively dry first couple of weeks in July with low chances of precipitation.
"July will be the tell-tale month for our crops," Mayer said. "If the rain shuts off, we could have a nice looking corn crop."
Mayer said farmers would much prefer to have a wealth of moisture as opposed the dry heat of 2012 that hit crops hard and stifled yields.
"The upland crops look wonderful," he said. "The next four weeks are going to be critical."
-The Associated Press contributed to this story.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers planted 84.8 million acres of soybeans nationally, which was nearly 11 percent more than last year's 76.5 million acres. Corn was planted nationally on 91.6 million acres, nearly 4 percent less than last year's 95.4 million acres.
Local numbers from 2014 are not yet available, but last year Green County planted 46,800 acres of soybeans, which was down from 46,900 acres in 2012. Lafayette County planted 43,600 acres of soybeans in 2013 compared to 47,100 in 2012.
Corn still more than doubles the acres of soybeans in Green County, coming in at 111,000 acres in 2013. Lafayette County had 149,000 acres last year, down from 151,000 in 2012. Despite corn's low price at about $4.19 per bushel as of Monday, Green County Agriculture Agent Mark Mayer said it is still a popular crop for siloage and regular harvest.
"I don't think we will see the day where soybeans pass corn," he said.
Mayer said soybean crops have been growing more popular, but this wasn't always the case. Mayer said before 1950 there were no soybeans planted in Green County. He said one of the contributing factors to the surge of soybeans is China's need for the protein to feed their pigs. This in turn has sent the price per bushel up to $10.94 as of Monday.
Lee Craigo of Craigo Grain Co. Inc. said there was a slight uptick in the number of bean seeds he sold but that overall, corn remains the top commodity.
"If you'd have asked me in February, I'd of said, "Oh yeah, beans is where it's at,' but with that harsh winter it actually helped us to plant corn and loosened up the soil," Craigo said.
Craigo said many of the farmers he works with used to do a 50-50 rotation of corn to soybeans each year to let the soil recover. Now he said it's more like 60-40, favoring corn.
Mayer said the amount of rain lately that has pooled up in fields and waterlogged some crops could actually be good news for farmers. The excess moisture will likely dry up in the coming month, but some of it could stick around. According to weather.com, the 10-day forecast predicts a relatively dry first couple of weeks in July with low chances of precipitation.
"July will be the tell-tale month for our crops," Mayer said. "If the rain shuts off, we could have a nice looking corn crop."
Mayer said farmers would much prefer to have a wealth of moisture as opposed the dry heat of 2012 that hit crops hard and stifled yields.
"The upland crops look wonderful," he said. "The next four weeks are going to be critical."
-The Associated Press contributed to this story.