Episode 293: Boots-on-the-Ground View of Planting 2026

Coming into the 2026 planting season, many expected a significant crop shift thanks to the war in Iran.

Little sign of this shift has been seen so far, but with less than half the crop in the ground and weeks left for farmers to finalize decisions, there are still plenty of wild cards on the table.

To give us an update on planting thus far, and help us understand what might be ahead for the emerging crop, we’re joined today by DTN Crops Technology Editor Pamela Smith and DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins. They start out with their expectations around conditions going into planting this year, including discussion of drought impacts and unusual temperatures this spring throughout much of the country.

Then, we’ll dive into updates on planting so far, with data from across the corn belt and the southern plains that suggests that inconsistent temperature and precipitation are helping some farmers stay ahead of schedule while others are dealing with setback after setback.

Finally, we’ll dig into what all this means for the crop ahead, with insights on what diseases, weeds, and insects are most likely to be at play, given the conditions we’ve seen so far.