John Phipps says, "above all I hope that we can exorcise the ghost of last year so that we can think about the future more clearly."

According to Travis Deppe, director of Precision Conservation Management for the Illinois Corn Growers Association, “the quest for higher yields has been baked into farmers’ psyche for generations."

“Early planting can be very successful — if you plan ahead,” says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie. Take these steps.

To inspire your team, find the time to acknowledge their work, contributions and achievements. This is especially true during a crisis.

“Both states are about double the five year average pace. This means that in the Last week, Iowa planted about 5.2 million acres of corn. Minnesota planted about 3.3 million acres of corn,” says Chip Flory.