Category: Crops

Maryland Regional Crop Reports: April 2025

Western Maryland

Weather has been different in 2025 for sure here in Washington County. We had some of the lowest temperatures for some years and the longest sustained cold spell in recent memory. Hopefully this will help break some insect and disease cycles. Additionally, the snow was good ground water recharge although not as much as we would have liked. Then came the dry weather. The later part of winter and early spring has been unseasonably dry if we can even use that phrase anymore. Recent showers and projected precipitation has raised our hopes again for a good crop year, even if the only activity to date has been fertilizer and manure application. Planters are being tuned up and farmers are practicing their patience waiting for soil temperatures to raise.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.

Central Maryland

Temperatures have been all over the place. It was 80 degrees a few weekends ago, and this morning it was 29 degrees. Temperatures are predicted to be a bit more spring-like over the next week and a half. Recent rains have made small grains and cover crops look better. We are still in a drought. Nitrogen and herbicide applications have gone out on wheat and barley. In eastern Montgomery County, wheat is at Feekes 5 (leaf strongly erected).—Kelly Nichols, Montgomery Co.

Northern Maryland

The theme for this winter has been cold and dry. We did get a few significant snow storms, but we are still very dry—recent rains are contributing to some good topsoil moisture at the moment. Hay and pastures look very good. Small grains did not tiller very much in the fall but have greened up and look decent and the second shot of nitrogen will be going on in the next week or so. Temperatures have dropped back into the 30s and 40s this week and soil temperatures are still running about 5 degrees cooler than normal. In a normal year there would be planters hitting the fields in the next few days for a few early plant fields, but not this year—we are still a couple of weeks from that.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.

Upper & Mid Shore

No report this month.

Lower Eastern Shore

Spring has sprung but the ground is still cold and wet. Farmers have been able to get into the fields to apply manure, and most manure application is done. Some fields are being tilled. The first spray of spring nitrogen is being applied to wheat. Cover crops are still growing on the majority of fields, although termination has begun. Corn and soybean planting has not started due to wet and cold soil conditions.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.

Southern Maryland

Farmers are preparing for planting. Everyone is busy spreading litter/manure, applying herbicides and completing field operations before planting commences. The region received some much-needed rains over the last two weeks with more anticipated this weekend. Field temperatures are still a little cool for planting with the cold front moving through this week driving temperatures lower. I suspect most planters will hit the field next week when temperatures warm again. Burndown of annual ryegrass continue to be a challenge.  Small grain crops are at jointing stage. Most of the second N applications are being made now. Alfalfa fields are a but earlier than normal with first cutting coming up soon. Alfalfa weevil is active. Hay fields have greened up nicely. We have struggled with fall planted cool season grasses across the region. Stands did not establish due to the dry fall and annual weeds are plentiful without the competition.—Ben Beale, St. Mary’s Co.

*Regions (counties):
Western: Garrett, Allegany, Washington. Central: Frederick, Montgomery, Howard. Northern: Harford, Baltimore, Carroll. Upper & Mid Shore: Cecil, Kent, Caroline, Queen Anne, Talbot. Lower Shore: Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico. Southern: St. Mary’s, Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert, Prince George’s

April 2025 Grain Market Report

Dale Johnson, Farm Management Specialist | dmj@umd.edu
University of Maryland Extension

Corn

This month’s 2024/25 U.S. corn outlook is for greater exports, reduced feed and residual use, and smaller ending stocks. Feed and residual use is cut 25 million bushels to 5.75 billion based on disappearance during the December-February quarter as indicated in the March 31 Grain Stocks report. Exports are raised 100 million bushels reflecting the pace of sales and shipments to date and relatively competitive U.S. prices. With no other use changes, ending stocks are down 75 million bushels from last month to 1.5 billion. The season-average corn price received by producers is unchanged at $4.35 per bushel. 

Soybeans

The outlook for U.S. soybean supply and use for 2024/25 includes higher imports and crush, and lower ending stocks. Soybean crush is raised 10 million bushels to 4.42 billion on higher soybean meal domestic use and soybean oil exports. Soybean oil exports are increased based on export commitments. Soybean oil for biofuel is lowered based on pace to date. However, stronger use is forecast for the last part of the marketing year due to tariffs impacting imports of other biofuel feedstocks, like used cooking oil. With soybean exports unchanged and imports increased slightly, soybean ending stocks are lowered 5 million bushels to 375 million.

Wheat

This month’s supply and demand outlook for 2024/25 U.S. wheat is for larger supplies, slightly smaller domestic use, reduced exports, and increased ending stocks. Supplies are raised on higher projected imports, up 10 million bushels to 150 million, with increases for Hard Red Spring (HRS), Durum, White, and Hard Red Winter (HRW). At this level, imports would be the largest since 2017/18. Domestic consumption is forecast 2 million bushels lower on reduced seed use, based primarily on the March NASS Prospective Plantings report. Feed and residual use is unchanged at 120 million bushels, but there are offsetting by-class revisions based on the March 31 NASS Grain Stocks report. Exports are lowered 15 million bushels to 820 million with reductions to HRS and HRW. Projected 2024/25 ending stocks are raised 27 million bushels to 846 million, 22 percent above the previous year. The season average farm price is unchanged at $5.50 per bushel. 

University of Maryland Extension Looking to Scout Your Late Season Cover Crops! 

Emily Zobel, Senior Agriculture Agent Associate | ezobel@umd.edu
University of Maryland Extension, Dorchester County

University of Maryland Extension is in its second year of a Maryland Soybean Board-funded research project investigating what insects may be using late-season cover crops as overwintering habitats and what that means for the following cash crop. We are looking for cover crop fields to scout on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, which will not be terminated until the end of April or May. If you have a field/fields you’d like us to scout or for more information, please contact Emily Zobel by email at ezobel@umd.edu or by phone at (410) 228-8800. Thank you to the Maryland Soybean Board for funding this research project.

University of Maryland Researchers Encourage Farmers to Participate in TAPS program

Researchers at the University of Maryland are inviting growers across the state to participate in their University of Maryland – Testing Ag Performance Solutions (UMD-TAPS) program this year. The program is supported by the Maryland Soybean Board and will run throughout the summer.

Piloted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the TAPS program provides farmers with a zero-risk opportunity to advance their agricultural management skills and knowledge. It serves as a growing season contest and research framework, designed to uncover how producers’ management decisions drive crop yields, farm profitability, and input-use efficiency.

Growers must make decisions about variety selection, fertility, pest management, and irrigation and their management decisions will be executed in small plots at the Wye Research and Education Center. Decisions made by all participants will be executed in one field, in a true head-to-head competition. The goal is to identify which suite of management decisions will become the most profitable, efficient, and highest yielding.

Researchers at the Maryland Agricultural Experimentation Station (MAES) WYE Research and Education Center will lead the program and gather data on each plot to share with farmers.

When the season ends, growers will participate in an awards dinner where they will gain access to valuable data sets to help them enhance their agricultural operations.

The irrigated corn competition is limited to 20 teams and the irrigated soybean competition is limited to 15 teams. Due to limited availability, researchers urge teams to sign up as soon as possible.

Interested applicants can sign up by following this link: bit.ly/UMDTAPS25. For any questions, please reach out to Dr. Nicole Fiorellino at nfiorell@umd.edu.

UMD Grain Marketing Site Updated for 2025

Shannon Dill, Principal Agriculture Agent

University of Maryland Extension

Elizabeth Thilmany, Faculty Specialist

University of Maryland, Agriculture Law Education Initiative

The University of Maryland Extension has updated www.go.umd.edu/grainmarketing site with custom rates, field crop budgets, and a new online tool for grain marketing analysis.

Custom Rates

A mail and online survey conducted in the Fall of 2024 gathered custom work charge data from 61 operators and farmers across Maryland and Delaware. Custom rates refer to the fees charged for various agricultural field operations performed and often include services such as planting, tillage, harvesting, spraying, and manure application. These rates provide a valuable resource for determining fair pricing when other benchmarks are unavailable.

The report summarizes the range, average, and median rates for custom services, offering insights into cost trends. Comparisons with past surveys from 2023, 2021, 2019, and 2017 highlight rate changes over time.

Variations in charges stem from factors such as location, field conditions, equipment type, and service timeliness. Some rates have been excluded due to insufficient responses.

Overall farm production costs are expected to rise 5% in 2025 compared to 2023. The most significant rise is in field preparation, which is expected to jump 16%.

Key Cost Increases:

  • Field Preparation: Projected to rise 16%, from $20 to $24.
  • Planting Costs: Estimated to grow 14%, reaching $25
  • Grass and Hay Production: Expected to increase by 15%, from $15 to $18
  • Labor Costs: Rising 11%, from $42 to $47
  • Field Applications: Experiencing a modest 8% increase, from $14 to $15
  • Harvesting: Expected to increase from $73 in 2023 to $86 in 2025 (15%)
  • Equipment Costs Decline: The only area expected to see a cost reduction is equipment expenses, which are reported to drop by 19%, from $85 to $71.

Crop Budgets

Cost of production is very important when making decisions related to your farm enterprise and grain marketing. Surveys from 2024 UME Winter Crop Production meetings report 66% of farmers believe input costs are the greatest challenges facing their farm operation. Enterprise budgets provide valuable information regarding individual enterprises on the farm. This tool enables farm managers to make decisions regarding enterprises and plan for the coming production year. An enterprise budget uses farm revenue, variable cost, fixed cost, and net income to provide a clear picture of the financial health of each farm enterprise.

The 2025 Maryland enterprise budgets were developed using average yields and estimated input costs based on producer and farm supplier data. Fertilizer prices, pesticide availability, and fuel expenses have fluctuated greatly. The figures presented are averages and vary greatly from one farm and region to the other. It is, therefore, crucial to input actual farm data when completing enterprise budgets for your farm.

The latest cost per acre comparison from 2024 and 2025 reveals shifts in input costs and market conditions affecting farmers. Overall, there is a slight decrease in costs from 2024. The cost of production per acre for Corn – No Till is projected to decrease from $690 in 2024 to $655 in 2025, marking a 5% decline. Similarly, Corn – Conventional is expected to see a 2% decrease, dropping from $749 to $731 per acre. Conversely, Soybeans are expected to experience a 5% cost increase, rising from $410 per acre in 2024 to $431 in 2025. The most significant decrease is seen in Wheat, where costs are projected to decline by 6%, from $514 per acre in 2024 to $481 in 2025.  

How to Use University Enterprise Budgets:

The enterprise budgets can be used as a baseline for your operation, and you can modify these budgets to include your production techniques, inputs, and overall management. The budgets are available electronically in PDF, Excel, and now as an interactive website at go.umd.edu/efmd. Use this document as a start or reference to create your crop budgets. Contact information is on the website if you have problems downloading any information.

Cost per acre for selected crops

New Grain Marketing Tool 

To assist farmers in making crop enterprise decisions, UMD has introduced the Maryland Grain Budget Planner, a new online tool that integrates crop budget data with grain marketing analysis. This free resource, funded by the Northeast Extension Risk Management Education Center, helps farmers track market trends, project expenses, and benchmark financial performance. By using this tool, producers can make more informed decisions about the cost of production, marketing strategies, and overall farm profitability. The tool includes a Market Analysis tab, which provides historical pricing data and cost trends. Below is an example of estimated crop income per bushel from the Market Analysis tab:

This tool can be accessed at go.umd.edu/EFMD. 

2024 Soybean & Corn Pest Management Survey

Farmers and crop consultants are encouraged to complete this survey

This survey is intended to estimate the impact of pests on soybeans and currently used management strategies. Your perspective is valuable in making these estimates as accurate as possible. Your responses will be kept confidential and only aggregated responses for the state will be published. You can find last year’s estimates at https://midsouthentomologist.org.msstate.edu/Volume17/Vol-17-1_TOC.html.

The survey can be completed online at https://delaware.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8GnhiHa4rn9ToPP or by following the QR code. If you have any questions, please contact us by email or phone. We look forward to hearing from you.

Local Contact: David Owens, University of Delaware     

Email:            owensd@udel.edu                  bcsam@udel.edu        

Phone:            C: (302) 698-7125        

Local Contact: Kelly Hamby, University of Maryland

Email:       kahamby@umd.edu

Phone:      C: (925) 354 0483

2025 Custom Farming Rate Survey

Shannon Dill, Principal Agriculture Agent | sdill@umd.edu
University of Maryland Extension, Talbot County

Extension services in Maryland and Delaware will be collecting custom survey rates this fall. We need your assistance securing up-to-date information about farm custom work rates, machinery rental rates, and hired labor costs. Custom rates are used widely by farmers across the states, so we need the best information available.

Please respond even if you know only a few rates. We want information on actual rates, either what you PAID TO HIRE work or what you CHARGED TO PERFORM custom work. Custom Rates should include all ownership costs of implement & tractor (if needed), operator labor, fuel, and lube. Reported rates will be summarized in the Custom Rate Survey to show a range and averages for the states. NO individual names or rates will be published in the Custom Rate Survey.

The results will be available at local Extension Offices and will be available online at https://extension.umd.edu/grainmarketing. We hope this publication will benefit you as a custom farm operator. Thank you for your cooperation in this effort.

The survey can be completed online at: https://go.umd.edu/customrate2025 or to get a blank survey call the Talbot County Extension office at 410-822-1244. Please complete the survey by December 31, 2024.

Maryland Regional Crop Reports: November 2024

Western Maryland

Harvest is winding down. Corn yields were all over the place, and while it doesn’t look pretty, mycotoxin levels have been low to existent. Soybeans, too, have been disappointing. Even with good yields, quality and reject levels are highly variable. Wheat and Barley are going into the ground; the only thing missing is the much-needed precipitation. Yes, we are dry out here again. The rains of September allowed us to feel comfortable, but our comfort levels have been dropping. The La Nina predicted this winter does give us hope for above-average precipitation. Until March 2025, wishing you warm holidays and a wet winter.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.

Central Maryland 

No report this month.

Northern Maryland

The headline story for this fall has been  the drought. We have not had any measurable rain since October 2, with the exception of about 0.25-0.5” that fell about a week ago. The dry weather has made for a dangerous harvest, especially in soybeans—I know of at least 5 close calls with combine fires in our region, including one major fire causing a total loss. Yields are highly variable across the region, largely depending on soil type and pockets that received more rain than others. In general, corn yields started off very poor but have picked up and are not nearly as disappointing as many expected. Soybean yields are all over the map and many double crop soybeans may out-yield full season beans this year. Low soil moisture has lead to slow small grain and cover crop establishment.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.

Upper and Mid Shore

Corn and soybean harvests are all but complete, with both crops having struggled under this season’s dry conditions, resulting in below-average yields across the region. The lack of rain also hasn’t made things easy for the wheat and cover crops planted this fall. Thankfully, the warmer-than-usual temperatures may have allowed these crops to put on some extra growth before winter sets in. With some much-needed rainfall this past weekend, they should now be better prepared to face the colder months ahead. As always, farmers are at the mercy of the weather, and after this season’s challenges, everyone is hopeful for more favorable conditions next year.—Dwayne Joseph, Kent Co.

Lower Shore

We had several weeks of drought, and conditions are very dry and dusty. The drought allowed for harvest to finish earlier than typical. Corn harvest is done. Soybean harvest is approximately 80% complete, even for double cropped soybean. Wheat is being planted. The dry weather has led to poor germination and establishment of cover crops. We had a 1” rain a few days ago, which should help establish cover crops that are still being drilled following soybean harvest. Corn and soybean yields are below average on unirrigated land, due to the dry weather earlier in the growing season. This is a year that irrigation definitely paid off, even with low commodity prices.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.

Southern Maryland

No report this month.

*Regions (counties):
Western: Garrett, Allegany, Washington. Central: Frederick, Montgomery, Howard. Northern: Harford, Baltimore, Carroll. Upper & Mid Shore: Cecil, Kent, Caroline, Queen Anne, Talbot. Lower Shore: Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico. Southern: St. Mary’s, Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert, Prince George’s

Evaluation of Early Maturity Group Soybeans in Maryland

Andrew Kness, Senior Agriculture Agent | akness@umd.edu and Nicole Fiorellino, Assistant Professor & Extension Agronomist
University of Maryland

Figure 1. Aerial photo of soybean maturity groups 1.5-3.0 showing different rates of senescence on September 4, 2024. Photo: A. Kness.

In recent years, many growers have expressed interest in and experimented with early maturing soybean maturity groups. The concept is appealing to some growers because it allows for an early harvest and earlier establishment of cover crops and/or small grains. However, there are a lot of questions related to how these early maturity groups can perform in our climate at our latitude and little data exists from our region to reference. With funding from the Maryland Soybean Board, we evaluated the agronomic characteristics of early maturity soybeans grown in a Maryland climate for their potential integration into Maryland grain rotations.

Soybean varieties ranging from maturity group (MG) 1.5-3.0 from two seed suppliers (Hubner and Pioneer) were planted on May 30, 2024 at the Wye Research and Education Center. All MG 1.5 and MG 2.0 Hubner brand plots were harvested on September 24 with remaining plots harvested on October 7th. Wheat was planted in the plots harvested at the first timing on October 10th and planted in the second harvest timing plots on October 23rd.

Mixed model analysis of variance was used to analyze the yield data, including brand (Hubner or Pioneer), maturity group, and interaction of the two. Significant effect of maturity group only (P=0.0008) with means separation by Tukey’s HSD (Figure 2).

Yields for all MGs were very strong; ranging from 55 bu/ac to nearly 70 bu/ac. Maturity group 3.0 yielded significantly more than MG 2 and 1.5 and similar to MG 2.5. Maturity groups 1.5 and 2.0 yielded similarly to each other.

Figure 2.  Average soybean yield by maturity group from 2024 trials.

This is only the first year of this study and we will conduct this research again in 2025. These preliminary data shows encouraging results and potential for early MG soybeans, which could offer some added benefits to establishing an early cover crop or a timelier planting of a subsequent wheat crop. Earlier cover crop establishment would have an environmental benefit in that more nutrients could be captured and saved for the next crop. Earlier establishment of wheat or other small grains, would also allow for more fall tiller development, which have the potential to contribute to more yield in the spring. We will see how the planting dates affect wheat yield in these plots next summer.

We would like to thank the Maryland Soybean Board for sponsoring this research, Hubner Seed for donating seed, and the farm crew at Wye Research and Education Center for supporting this project.

Growing Giant Miscanthus on Marginal Land

Sarah Hirsh, Agriculture Agent | shirsh@umd.edu; Haley Sater, Agriculture Agent; and Jon Moyle, Extension Poultry Specialist
University of Maryland Extension

Giant miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus) is a perennial warm season grass known for its high biomass yield and adaptability to various growing conditions. This species of miscanthus is a sterile hybrid typically propagated by rhizomes. It can grow up to 12 feet tall with roots 8 feet deep. Giant miscanthus reaches its full biomass yield potential in the third growing season, where it can yield 10 to 15 tons per acre (Heaton et al., 2010). Giant miscanthus is used in Maryland as a bedding material in poultry houses. It can also be used as a biomass crop for fiber-based products, a bioenergy crop, and has environmental uses including erosion control, carbon sequestration, and as a buffer against nutrient runoff.

Figure 1. Giant miscanthus growing on land affected by severe deer damage, saltwater intrusion, and waterlogging.

The University of Maryland Extension performed a three-year research trial growing giant miscanthus on marginal land facing severe deer pressure, saltwater intrusion and waterlogging (Figure 1).

Figure 2. Giant miscanthus plot yields (+/- standard error) after first and second years of growth.

We found that giant miscanthus successfully grew with only a slight yield reduction. In the 10-acre field where the experiment was conducted, 20 one-meter square plots were harvested to calculate biomass yield. Yield on average in year one was 2.8 tons dry biomass per acre and yield on average in year two was 4.8 tons per acre (Figure 2). Average first- and second-year yields on prime land for growing miscanthus would be 3 tons per acre and 5-6 tons per acre, respectively. Giant miscanthus does not reach its full biomass yield potential until the third growing season, where it can ideally yield between 7-12 tons per acre (Kalmbach, et al., 2020).

In the 20 one-meter square plots where yield was taken, levels of sodium (Na) in the field ranged from 57-510 ppm Na, with an average of 174 ppm Na. This level of Na would cause stress that would result in yield loss to corn or soybean. A normal range of Na in Delmarva row-crop land is 5-40 ppm (Delmarva Saltwater Intrusion, University of Delaware, 2024). Higher concentrations of Na correlated somewhat with miscanthus biomass yield, more so in the second year than in the first year (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Correlation between giant miscanthus plot yields and soil sodium levels.
Figure 4. Giant miscanthus growing in year-round waterlogged part of field; Soil moisture data collection from plot two.

The entire study field stayed waterlogged during the winter months. The duration of waterlogging was observed to affect giant miscanthus growth and yield potential. Areas of the field where the soil stayed saturated throughout the winter and summer months had dramatically reduced giant miscanthus growth compared to areas of the field where the soil stayed saturated in the winter months but only intermittently during the summer months. In the year-round waterlogged parts of the field, giant miscanthus had shorter stand height, weaker stems and experienced lodging (Figure 4). The miscanthus grew equally well in the parts of the field that were intermittently flooded in the summer compared to the driest parts of the field (based on soil moisture sensor data; Figure 4).

The field had heavy deer pressure based on edge-of-field wildlife camera photos and observed deer tracks and paths in the field (Figure 5). However, no deer browsing of giant miscanthus was observed in the field.

Figure 5. Deer image from Bushnell wildlife camera (left) and deer tracks within field (right). Photos by H. Sater.

Research conducted on Maryland farms has demonstrated that giant miscanthus is a versatile and resilient crop that can be grown on marginal land where other traditional agronomic crops can no longer be profitably grown. Its ability to withstand deer damage, saltwater intrusion and waterlogging make it a valuable option for farmers in Maryland looking to diversify their crops and improve the sustainability of their operations. However, access to equipment and markets may be barriers to farmers growing giant miscanthus, and we do not recommend this crop prior to addressing these factors.

Sources cited:

Agriculture and Salt Issues. (2024). Delmarva Saltwater Intrusion, University of Delaware, October, 10, 2024, sites.udel.edu/delmarvasalt/home-page/agriculture-and-salt-issues/.

Heaton, E., Moore, K., Salas-Fernandez, M., Hartzler, B. Liebman, M. and Barnhart, S. (2010). Giant Miscanthus for Biomass Production. Iowa State Fact Sheet. AG201. https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/12611

Kalmbach, B., Toor, G., & Ruppert, D. (2020). Soil Fertility Recommendations-Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Requirements of Miscanthus (EB-443).