2024: The Year of Challenges

Dec 17, 2024


As the end of 2024 draws near, most of us can agree that it was a very trying year. The planting window was wide throughout the state, and we can all agree there were very few days when it felt good to be planting. Proper soil conditions were hard to come by with the early season rains. The South got planted in somewhat of a normal timeframe, but the North could not catch a break. There were a bunch of re-plants due to poor soil conditions, and some planters up north were still trying to get planted until the end of June. Most received almost a year’s worth of rain in 60 days from May 15th until July 15th. Then the rain shut off. Harvest was early, and the crop came off at a record pace. Throughout the vast area that our Agronomy team covers in the state, we saw a wide range of yield results, from record yields in areas to disappointing yields that most hope they never see again.
 
The wet weather this year made herbicide and fertilizer applications very difficult for everyone. Our Agronomists battled through very narrow application windows to kill the weeds and feed the crop the nutrients it needed. Our awesome operations team worked some very long days when the fields were fit to operate in. We had numerous locations working 20+ hour days, using every hour of dry field conditions to give the crop what it needed.
 
I can’t thank our entire Agronomy staff enough for their efforts in 2024. They recommended and delivered to you over 320,000 tons of fertilizer, 275,000 units of seed, and another near-record year of crop protection products. We are continuing to update our facilities, application equipment, and truck fleet to be prepared for whatever season Mother Nature might try and throw at us next. I hope this gives you the peace of mind, that you can continue to Rely on Us for many years.
 
Thank you for your continued patronage in 2024. We are looking forward to another prosperous year with you in 2025. May God bless you and your families during this holiday season.
 
Merry Christmas!
 
Shane Johnson
 
VP Agronomy Operations
 

Read More News

Jun 03, 2025
We all know diligent scouting is critical for the early detection of in-field problems such as insects, diseases, and weed pressure. If you’re not supplementing traditional scouting efforts with the technology tools available through various apps, you could be missing out on opportunities to save time, increase efficiency, and optimize your yield and return on investment potential.

Here are some of our top picks:
May 22, 2025
The feed industry is ever evolving. New technologies and processes enter the industry daily, changing manufacturing processes and feed products. The feed department at United Cooperative offers many ways for our patrons to adapt and evolve with this industry and changes in agriculture and livestock production.
May 19, 2025
Planting is progressing well across the state as I am writing this. The markets are reflecting the planting pace and at the moment it appears that an increase in the carry out as well.  Time will tell if the current assumptions are correct or not.  In the old crop, the market is telling us to move the crop now.  Both corn and bean markets reflect this currently.  Contact your local United Cooperative buyer to take advantage of the many tools that the cooperative offers.

Related Topics