“We are thankful for the way the year turned out,” said Kevin Carlson, Federated’s agronomy sales manager. “At the end of April, it didn’t look too optimistic.”

With record cold in April and record warmth in May, Minnesota and Wisconsin growers learned how averages come to be – right between the two extremes. Working through those challenges is difficult, Carlson observed, “and we know that . . . we are here to help you manage through the challenges of the extremes.”

Most of Federated’s service areas ended 2018 with an average to above-average corn crop, and it was the same with beans, depending upon the rainfall. Timely rain in late July and August helped improve yields in some of the areas, but precipitation was highly variable. “The GDUs were there, but the rain made the difference, whether it came in a timely fashion or not, and at what intensity,” Carlson said.

The intensity of the rainfall adversely affected some crops. “Again, there lie the averages. It can look like you received plenty of rainfall, but it didn’t help the crops because of the intensity,” he said.

And so, looking to next year, Carlson said he is optimistic. Grain prices recovered from fall lows, “and hopefully they will continue to recover, especially on corn, and soybeans too.”

At the end of a mostly good season, it’s important to remember “bushels matter,” said Carlson, and “we are here to help you generate more bushels . . . more bushels at a better cost . . . better bushels.”

It’s no easy task, Carlson admitted, but Federated is here to help all their growers get a better return on investments. Contact your Federated Agronomist to discuss ways to get more bushels in 2019.