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Ag Marketing IQ: Don’t miss the rally. While strong price support in corn and soybeans makes sure you grab what you see. Here are four steps to solidify a strong average price for your 2026 grain crops.

The U.S. farmer is off to a good start this spring. Corn and soybean seeds are flying into the ground in the south. Tennessee is over 30% ahead of the 5-year average on corn and soybean planting, Kentucky is up 15%, and Illinois is up 3% to 5%. My good friends in Southeastern Illinois completed their planting by April 10 for the first time ever.

Most of my Illinois farmer friends tell me that being done the first week of May is the earliest they can remember. To be a full three weeks ahead of schedule just seems nuts — or perhaps a little alarming, depending on how you look at it. Keep in mind, though, that early planting typically means favorable prospects for a big crop. The market knows this, and yet we seem to have support at levels higher than forecasted earlier this year. What could be the reasoning for that? And how long might these levels stick around?

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