Acres & Assets | Transition to Spring: March Preparations for Farmers and Landowners

The first few months of the year are a time for farmers and landowners to look back and sum up the past year on their farm and also a time to look forward to the new season.  March is a pivotal month to really focus on the plans and details that need to be accomplished in order to be ready for spring planting. 

As a young farmer, I greatly enjoyed harvest time and the reaping of a reward for all the hard work and efforts of the past months.  I also looked forward to the winter months with a slower pace after the non-stop activity of harvest and fall fieldwork.  The winter months provided time to tally up the numbers from the just completed harvest and the financial outcome of all the sales and expenses.  Tax returns were filed and taxes paid at the end of February.  Financing for the new season was finalized with my lender during the winter months after all the numbers were known from the past year and projections made for the new one.

March is a transition month in farming as producers wrap up winter activities and get ready for planting.  In the Delta region and southern rim of states, planting of corn and other crops will start during March.  In contrast, planting in the northern plains may not start till May.  Of course, weather will be the final determinant of when planting happens as too cold or too wet of weather can delay the best intentions of when to plant.  Flexibility in spring planting is a must.

A number of important management items have to be taken care of in March as winter moves into spring.  A farmer’s financing needs for the year will be finalized with their lender if not done already.  A new farm may have come up for rent late in the winter and the successful tenant will need to complete a new lease.  Rental payments for most cash rent leases will have payments due March 1 or no later than April 1.

Two important risk management decisions have to be completed no later than mid-March.  The first is what type of farm program to enroll in for the year.  Analysis of the different provisions and potential payment levels of each will have been analyzed and signup with the Farm Service Agency completed.  The second important risk management decision is what type of crop insurance to take and what guarantee level to insure for.  Types of crop insurance available to farmers and landowners who receive a share of the crop have expanded in recent years providing higher levels of risk mitigation.

Day to day activities on the farm in preparation for the busy planting time continue during March.  These include delivering grain out of on-farm storage to cover cash flow needs over the next few months of focused planting activity.  Farmers are receiving deliveries of inputs such as seed in bag and bulk plus herbicides and fertilizers if they have storage room on their farm and do their own application.  

One of the final activities and one that is truly a transition to planting, is getting the equipment ready.  For me, this was a time to get the planter and grain drill out on a warm day to be sure all parts are lubricated and in working order.  Any new additions such as the latest monitors or attachments were purchased and carefully installed.  Tractors and sprayers were serviced and field equipment received new parts in preparation for the upcoming tillage operations.

In the heart of the Cornbelt states, preparations for spring planting should be done by the end of March as planting of corn and soybeans can start anytime in some areas during early April if the soil is warm enough and not too wet.  Planters will have been rolling farther south by then weather permitting while the ground could still be frozen in the northern reaches of the grain belt.  March is a transition month that gets a farmer’s mind turned to planting a new crop.