By Liz Stahl, Extension Educator – Crops, Jeff Coulter, Extension Corn Agronomist and Seth Naeve, Extension Soybean Agronomist
Economics are top of many farmers’ minds as the 2026 planting season is upon us. Although there are forces at work affecting key input costs that are out of an individual’s control, things one can do to help optimize returns was the topic of discussion on the March 25 Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops program. Dr. Jeff Coulter, UMN Extension Corn Agronomist, and Dr. Seth Naeve, UMN Extension Soybean Agronomist, joined moderator Matt Pfarr, UMN Extension Educator in Crops, to discuss strategies as we prepare for the 2026 planting season.
Research from Illinois found a 7% yield penalty for second-year corn and a 10% yield penalty for continuous corn compared to corn following soybean. Looking at soybean yield, however, a corn/corn/soybean rotation resulted in 6% higher soybean yields compared to when soybean was grown in a typical corn/soybean rotation.
Taking these impacts into consideration, if you need to have more corn acres on your farm, one strategy would be to place corn-on-corn acres on your best fields only. Another strategy would be to try to not grow corn more than two years in a row. Planting corn after corn silage may help too as there would be less residue for the second year of corn.
Watch the weather forecast when deciding when to plant. When cold and wet weather follows early planting, this can lead to germination and stand problems. For corn seeds to germinate, seeds need to imbibe 30% of their weight in water and the soil temperature needs to be at least 50°F. Stand problems can occur when seeds imbibe water at lower soil temperatures and then sit in the soil for an extended period. It is not unusual for seeds to sit in the ground for 3 weeks or even more in MN, but the longer they sit in the ground, the more stressful it is for the crop, and seeds are more susceptible to pathogens once they imbibe water. Seed treatments are only effective for so long too. If a cold front with rain or snow is in the forecast, it may pay to hold off on planting until it passes, but it all depends on the season.
It is important to note that although much focus is put on planting date, factors like nitrogen management and the weather will tend to have a bigger impact on yield.
Conducting pre-plant tillage when soils are too wet can lead to clods and ultimately poor seed-to-soil contact, as well as crusting and compaction. Planting when soils are too wet can lead to smearing and side-wall compaction. All these factors can lead to uneven emergence and poor stands. Compaction can also hinder nodal root development. When plants struggle to get the nutrients and water they need, this can lead to yield losses. A planting depth of 2 inches should be targeted, although when conditions are very dry, a depth of 2.5 inches may help when trying to plant into a more uniform soil moisture.
More details on planting strategies in corn can be found at: Strategies for successful corn planting and the UMN Corn Planting website.
Research has shown that the yield response to planting date is greater in high-productivity environments compared to low-productivity environments. This means that in a good year, such as when we have adequate moisture in August and September, planting date can be expected to have more of an impact on yield than in a poor year/environment for soybean.
There has been much interest in planting soybeans as early as possible. While very early planting dates may not necessarily help increase yield potential, early planting dates have the best chance to pay off in high-productivity areas. Fields with lower yield potential may even benefit from a more normal planting date versus a very early planting date. It is also important to note that shorter maturity varieties respond less to very early planting dates than longer maturity varieties.
More details on soybean planting can be found on the UMN Soybean planting website.
Inputs like herbicides have a huge ROI. On the other hand, Naeve reports he has not come across a product marketed as a yield enhancer that has worked. Prophylactic applications of pesticides typically do not pay either and they can cause other issues like the selection for resistance to the pesticide and other environmental concerns. Scouting, checking to make sure we have the conditions for a pest to be a problem, being familiar with the most recent research results, and monitoring pest networks can assist in helping determine if a pesticide application is needed and when it should be applied.
Following UMN fertilizer guidelines can help manage costs while maintaining yield. Keep in mind that when you fine-tune fertilizer rates, proper calibration of planter and fertilizer equipment will be as important as ever. Manage field traffic to help optimize yield too.
Watch a recording of the full program at the Strategic Farming YouTube channel.
Optimizing corn returns
Consider crop rotation effects
Researchers who studied 750,000 USDA Risk Management Agency yield records from across the nation for the impact of rotation on corn yield (2007-2012) found there was an average of a 4.3% yield penalty for planting corn continuously. This yield penalty was more severe in areas where both soil moisture and yields were low. The yield penalty increased when corn was grown for two years prior compared to just one year prior, but it did not grow larger with additional years of corn.Research from Illinois found a 7% yield penalty for second-year corn and a 10% yield penalty for continuous corn compared to corn following soybean. Looking at soybean yield, however, a corn/corn/soybean rotation resulted in 6% higher soybean yields compared to when soybean was grown in a typical corn/soybean rotation.
Taking these impacts into consideration, if you need to have more corn acres on your farm, one strategy would be to place corn-on-corn acres on your best fields only. Another strategy would be to try to not grow corn more than two years in a row. Planting corn after corn silage may help too as there would be less residue for the second year of corn.
Corn planting date impacts
Planting date is another place where farmers can help set themselves up for optimized returns. Results from 26 trials across Minnesota (2009 – 2016) show that planting corn when soils are fit in the sweet spot between April 25 to May 12 should set you up for optimal yields (99 to 100% of maximum). Planting from April 12 to 17 resulted in yields 94 to 96% of maximum. Yields typically are not reduced due to delayed planting until there has been about 140 growing degree days accumulated from the first available planting date. The earliest planted corn has not typically been the top yielding each year, although that depends on the year.Watch the weather forecast when deciding when to plant. When cold and wet weather follows early planting, this can lead to germination and stand problems. For corn seeds to germinate, seeds need to imbibe 30% of their weight in water and the soil temperature needs to be at least 50°F. Stand problems can occur when seeds imbibe water at lower soil temperatures and then sit in the soil for an extended period. It is not unusual for seeds to sit in the ground for 3 weeks or even more in MN, but the longer they sit in the ground, the more stressful it is for the crop, and seeds are more susceptible to pathogens once they imbibe water. Seed treatments are only effective for so long too. If a cold front with rain or snow is in the forecast, it may pay to hold off on planting until it passes, but it all depends on the season.
It is important to note that although much focus is put on planting date, factors like nitrogen management and the weather will tend to have a bigger impact on yield.
Uniform corn emergence helps optimize yield
When soil moisture conditions in the seed zone are variable, this can result in uneven emergence and ultimately yield loss. A corn plant that is 1-leaf stage behind typically yields 80% of maximum and a plant 2-leaf stages behind typically yields 50% of maximum. Ideally, corn plants will emerge within about 2 days of each other. Planting into uniform soil conditions that are not too wet or dry, where you get adequate seed to soil contact, is ideal.Conducting pre-plant tillage when soils are too wet can lead to clods and ultimately poor seed-to-soil contact, as well as crusting and compaction. Planting when soils are too wet can lead to smearing and side-wall compaction. All these factors can lead to uneven emergence and poor stands. Compaction can also hinder nodal root development. When plants struggle to get the nutrients and water they need, this can lead to yield losses. A planting depth of 2 inches should be targeted, although when conditions are very dry, a depth of 2.5 inches may help when trying to plant into a more uniform soil moisture.
Hybrid selection and seeding rate impacts
Hybrid selection also plays a crucial role in yield potential. Later maturing hybrids typically result in about a 1% yield increase for every 1 relative maturity unit increase. This can come with higher grain moisture at harvest; however, you will want to select hybrids that will reach physiological maturity before a killing frost. Select for the agronomic traits you need, and keep in mind there is a genetic improvement of 1.8 bu/acre/year on average with newer hybrids. Planting at a rate of 34,000 to 36,000 seeds/ac should result in stands of 32,000 to 34,000 plants/ac. Research has shown that planting at rates higher than this are not expected to result in higher yields, while higher seeding rates will increase seed costs.More details on planting strategies in corn can be found at: Strategies for successful corn planting and the UMN Corn Planting website.
Optimizing soybean returns
Soybean planting date
Very early in the season, soybean planted from mid to late April into early May will likely emerge at the same time and result in nominal yield differences at the end of the season. With soybean there is not much of a yield response due to planting date up until May 30. Long-term research from the Southwest Research and Outreach Center, led by Bruce Potter, showed that you can expect about a 0.2 % drop per day in yield - or 2% over 10 days - as planting is delayed from early April through mid-May. After May 30, however, yields tend to drop about 1% per day or more as planting is delayed. Early in the season, it is not so much planting date that impacts yield, but when the soybeans emerge, with early planting allowing you to take advantage of potential future heat units.Research has shown that the yield response to planting date is greater in high-productivity environments compared to low-productivity environments. This means that in a good year, such as when we have adequate moisture in August and September, planting date can be expected to have more of an impact on yield than in a poor year/environment for soybean.
There has been much interest in planting soybeans as early as possible. While very early planting dates may not necessarily help increase yield potential, early planting dates have the best chance to pay off in high-productivity areas. Fields with lower yield potential may even benefit from a more normal planting date versus a very early planting date. It is also important to note that shorter maturity varieties respond less to very early planting dates than longer maturity varieties.
More details on soybean planting can be found on the UMN Soybean planting website.
Planting corn vs soybean
Soybean is pretty resilient when planted early and they can handle a loss in stand better than corn, but they can be taken out by an early frost as well. There is an opportunity to manage very early planted soybean differently than corn. For example, you can increase planting populations, seed treatments can be added, and there is more flexibility to manage planting depth than with corn. In a tough year where farmers are faced with mudding in the crop, soybean can be more forgiving than corn.Look at return on investment (ROI) over yield
We should be really looking at ROI first and foremost regardless, but considering current economic conditions, looking at ROI over yield is more important than ever. Can you swap out name brands for generic products? Where could you possibly eliminate a field pass? Can we bank on precision savings from variable rate technologies and row shutoffs? The management time it takes to test a new technology on your farm is probably well worth it too. University of MN has resources on conducting on-farm research to help.Inputs like herbicides have a huge ROI. On the other hand, Naeve reports he has not come across a product marketed as a yield enhancer that has worked. Prophylactic applications of pesticides typically do not pay either and they can cause other issues like the selection for resistance to the pesticide and other environmental concerns. Scouting, checking to make sure we have the conditions for a pest to be a problem, being familiar with the most recent research results, and monitoring pest networks can assist in helping determine if a pesticide application is needed and when it should be applied.
Following UMN fertilizer guidelines can help manage costs while maintaining yield. Keep in mind that when you fine-tune fertilizer rates, proper calibration of planter and fertilizer equipment will be as important as ever. Manage field traffic to help optimize yield too.
Watch a recording of the full program at the Strategic Farming YouTube channel.
Registration is open for Field Notes!
Join us for Strategic Farming: Field Notes, our in-season crop management series, starting on Wednesday, May 13. The series runs online from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 on Wednesdays through August 12, 2026 and will address seasonal crop issues as they arise. Registration is available now and details for the program will be posted soon on the Strategic Farming website.
Register
Thanks to the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council and the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council for their support of this program.
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