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Ohio farmer expects an early start to the planting season

A southwest Ohio farmer says he’s expecting an early start to the 2023 planting season.

John Settlemyre tells Brownfield the winter was relatively mild.  “Some folks were planting potatoes recently on a very large farm in south central Ohio,” he says.  “Which seems very early to me.  Soil temperatures are up and the wheat is fairly green for going through the winter.”

He says it won’t be the temperatures that keep farmers out of the field this spring.  “It’s going to be more of a moisture factor than a temperature factor,” he says.  “Gear up for an early spring.”

Settlemyre says his balance sheets are looking better today than they did a year ago. “Nitrogen dropped down quite a bit, which is a huge portion of the production cost for corn,” he says.  “Nitrogen has been up as high as $650 to $700 a ton and it’s down now and that’s been a big help.”

Settlemyre raises corn and soybeans on his family’s fifth-generation farming operation in Warren County, Ohio. He farms with his dad, brother, sister, and nephew.

AUDIO: John Settlemyre, Ohio farmer