From The Field: Looking Back At 2021 With Doug Sibbitt
As growers wrap up 2021 and begin to prepare for the 2022 planting season, ESN Marketing Representative Doug Sibbitt reflects on the past year and offers advice for 2022. Doug’s territory includes Eastern Canada—ON, NB, PEI and NS—and the Northeastern U.S.—VA, OH, WV, IN, MI, PA, NJ, MD, DE, RI, NY, MA, CT, VT, NH and ME.
Q: What challenges did growers face in your region this year?
A: There were some weather challenges during the spring and summer of 2021. Within my large marketing territory, there were areas that saw record-breaking heat during times when corn needed cooler temperatures for pollination. As far as precipitation, it was all over the board. Some areas received record rains and others struggled to get the rain the crops needed. That being said, yields were very good—not bin busters, but very good. Financially, growers should be in a pretty good place. Speaking of financially, the biggest challenge growers have faced this fall—and going into the 2022 season—is high fertilizer prices. Due to these high prices, growers have talked about planting more soybeans than corn or cutting back on fertilizer.
Q: What opportunities (if any) did growers experience?
A: Those growers who planted wheat saw a big opportunity with higher wheat prices. As far as the growing season, growers were able to finish planting in a decent time and harvest went well in most of my marketing territory. With the higher crop prices we saw, growers had the opportunity to forward market crops. The fall fertilizer season went better than expected, even with the high prices, probably due to the timely harvest giving growers an opportunity to apply fertilizer. Growers also had opportunities to go to meetings and farm shows in person that were missed in 2020 due to COVID. We’re in a relationship business and I think growers like to talk face-to-face, not over a computer screen.
Q: How was the growing season overall?
A: Unpredictability is the nature of farming. There will always be some challenges with weather, but despite the extreme heat and varying precipitation, we saw good yields and crop prices this year. Overall, growers are looking pretty good financially going into 2022.
Q: How should growers start preparing for next year?
A: Growers should prepare for high prices and potential supply issues. It doesn’t seem like fertilizer or chemical prices are going to decline before the 2022 planting season. Due to the logistics issues, supply could be an issue in 2022. With high nitrogen prices, growers need to ensure nitrogen goes to the crop and won’t be lost to the environment. They should buy the best insurance for their nitrogen, and that’s ESN. Other than that, I’d advise all growers to do a soil test so they have a good idea of their current conditions. If prices continue to stay high, I’ve heard talk of growers cutting back on fertilizer. That’s why an updated soil test is critical—so they know what and how much (if any) they can cut back. They may find out that they can’t cut back on fertility without losing yield. I hope farmers would want to take advantage of high crop prices and maximize yields.
Q: Do you have any advice for buying their nitrogen now vs. waiting until spring?
A: I know there are growers who are hoping nitrogen prices will come down before spring, but no one can predict what the prices will do. All the talk is that these higher prices will run through Q2. My advice is to know your break-even point. Once you know that, this decision can be made a little easier. Otherwise, I would buy some nitrogen now, so you have it on the books. If supply/logistics become an issue, waiting until spring might not be the best option. I highly recommend purchasing protection for nitrogen because of the high prices. You want to make sure the money you spend on nitrogen goes to the crop and not lost to the environment. ESN protects nitrogen from loss to the environment from 50 to 80 days—it’s the best insurance for your nitrogen investment.
As you look ahead to the 2022 growing season, get in touch with your local rep to discuss your nitrogen management plan for next year. With current nitrogen prices, ESN is the smart choice to protect your nitrogen investment.
