The branch manager of a local cooperative says farmers in his area are already busy preparing for the 2026 growing season.
Travis Gillett, who oversees Effingham Equity’s Alma branch in Marion County, says utilizing harvest data is a good way to start planning for next year.
“It’s very important for farmers to keep track of all these notes as they’re harvesting these fields.” He says, “Disease pressure, the weed issues, stock integrity, stand establishment, and emergent scores, and put all that together to really drill down on picking their hybrids and varieties going into ‘26.”
He tells Brownfield that high input costs have many farmers closely analyzing their fertilizer plans.
“A guy needs to really evaluate the yields that he’s taken off this year, and what the crop has removed, and really take a return on investment look at your input costs so that you can make a really good economic decision rather than just an emotional decision this year,” he says.
Gillett says producers should lean on trusted agronomic advisors to help develop the most cost-efficient plan to maximize profitability in 2026.
