What a difference a year makes. A year ago, wheat prices were booming, so Arkansas farmers planted a million acres. This fall, wheat prices have fallen, and farmers planted an estimated 350,000 acres.
“When our producers were making planting decisions in late summer and early fall, grain prices were falling and input costs were high,” said Dr. Jason Kelley, extension wheat and small grains specialist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
Producers were also faced with a high basis – the difference between the Chicago Board of Trade price and what local grain elevators were willing to pay.
Farmers also based their planting decisions on whether they rented or owned their own land. Their rental costs and their landlord’s recommendations about planting also played a part in the final decision.
Meanwhile, later planted wheat is just coming up, Kelley said, but some wheat has been in the ground for two months. “Not much wheat is in the growing phase now, but it’s about where it needs to be for this time of year,” he said. “What’s growing looks pretty good.”
Kelley said when winter wheat is harvested in the early summer, the money will provide farmers with much needed income to pay for the expense of planting other crops.
Farmers’ biggest concern at this time of year is ryegrass control.
