Across the country, XtremeAg farmers are relying on data to plan for the 2024 growing season. Finalizing crop rotations and seed varieties is top of mind this time of year.
Matt Miles - McGehee, Arkansas
Matt Miles is a fourth-generation farmer in southeast Arkansas. Miles farms 3,500 acres of corn, 3,500 acres of soybeans, 1,500 acres of cotton, and 1,500 acres of rice.
When I was a kid, after harvest and equipment was cleaned up, the following year crop plans weren't even discussed until spring. In today's world, not so much!
The days of harvest cleanup and "forget about it until spring" are long gone; the most successful farmers I know never stop.
Harvest is now just a phase in our operation. It is the first step in providing data for the next crop. As we have adapted to the new technology, we now have solid, proven data to begin making decisions for the future. The seed companies have been hammering us for early orders for seed so that they know what to have available. We are also spitting out results on varieties and trials to find the sweet spots that will make our operation more successful.
Farming in the Delta provides us a multitude of options for crop mixes. For us, it's not merely a decision about how many acres of corn and soybeans to plant, and which varieties performed best on our farm. Instead, it involves considering factors such as the prices of the five to six crops we grow, as well as their return on investment, while also balancing the value of crop rotation.
We try to have all this information confirmed and decisions made by the first of January. We know that nine out of 10 years, it is going to change somehow. We try and stay flexible up to planting to adapt to surprises that we didn't account for.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Miles Family Farm.
