Average cropland and pastureland cash rental rates can be helpful to both agricultural producers and landowners in planning leasing arrangements or making production decisions.

Knowledge of farmland cash rental rates can be useful for updating leasing arrangements and for budgeting costs of production. Annual farmland cash rental rates were released by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service on August 25, 2023. Rates are given for irrigated cropland, non-irrigated cropland, and pastureland for each county. Here are some key highlights:

• Cash rental rates increased slightly in Alabama from 2022.
  • Cropland averaged $70, up $1 from 2022.
  • Pastureland averaged $24, up $0.50 from 2022.
• The statewide rate for irrigated cropland was $137 per acre, compared to $66.50 for non-irrigated cropland.
• Cash rental rates slightly increased in neighboring states, following the trend of the past 5 years.
• Cash rent varies greatly by county within Alabama, with highest rates for the following:
  • Irrigated cropland: Henry County at $185/acre
  • Non-irrigated cropland: Limestone County at$123/acre
  • Pastureland: Marshall County at $39.50/acre

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Voluntary carbon-market programs continue to draw attention across the United States. Two of the most common practices that farmers use in carbon programs are cover crops and no-till. With the release of the recent 2022 Census of Agriculture, one might wonder how Alabama fared in using these two conservation practices that farmers often use for their on-farm soil health benefits.

Cover crops are small grains, legumes, brassicas, or other crops that are planted between cash crops with the primary goal of maintaining year round cover on the land. Farmers use cover crops to reduce erosion, improve soil health, enhance water availability, help control pests, and increase biodiversity. Alabama had cover crops on 7.6% of its cropland as in 2022, which is above the 4.7% rate for the US in total, ranking 18th among states. Maryland maintained its lead with cover crops on 27.3% of its cropland.

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The first thing Marshall County farmer John Bevel noticed when we did a yield check on his late plant-ed soybean was how huge the beans were in the top pods. The large beans contributed to what John said were his “best beans ever”. John’s June 1 planted Becks 4991X2 yielded 94.28 bushels per acre, an Alabama yield record for late planted soybeans, and won the Alabama Soybean Yield Contest’s late-season non-irrigated category. It was the second year in a row that John has won this category, but last year his award-winning entry averaged 57.42 bushels per acre.
Bean size is a key component in high soybean yields. Soybean seed size can range from 2,500-4,000 seed per pound, but most will average be-tween 2,800-3,100 seed per pound. Your top grow-ers are picking up a substantial amount of their yield by producing bigger beans. High soil potassi-um levels are the foundation for bigger beans. Soil sample results taken after harvest revealed that John’s phosphorus and potassium were in the very high range even after harvesting 94 bushels per acre. John noted, “This field had always had a lot of chicken litter applied to it over the years, so this year I just applied commercial fertilizer.” He ap-plied 12 pounds of nitrogen, 40 pounds of phospho-rus, 71 pounds of potassium, along with 21 pounds of sulfur, and five pounds of magnesium per acre.
John intended to plant this field about two weeks earlier, but the field was low lying and stayed too wet to plant until June 1. He points out that he was fortunate, and the field got timely rains all summer. John added, “I was extremely lucky the second week of September when the beans were filling out and got a total of three inches of rain in three or four showers when the rest of the county was dry. They would have probably been 50-bushel beans rather than 90 bushels if I wouldn’t have got this rain.” The combination of good moisture all summer plus the late rains helped fill out the crop and contribute to the high yields.
The field had been in pasture for years and had only two crops of soybeans and two crops of corn planted on it. John observed that new ground usually makes excellent yields the first few years they are put in crop land. Another factor that played a role in the high yield was an eight foot tall fence along the back of the field built by the neighboring farmer to keep deer on his property. This greatly reduced deer damage on his soybeans. Deer dam-age is the biggest yield limiting factor for many soybean growers. John credits his weed control program for a season-long weed free field contributing to his high yield. He applied Glyphosate and Verdict at burndown and followed it at postemergence with glyphosate, Engenia, and Outlook. John notes, “The 4.9 variety also has plenty of time to make a crop. It is not too long or too short a maturity soybean. I believe the 4.9 maturity is one of the best beans to get a high yield with.”
John didn’t spray any fungicides because 2023 was a low disease year and said soybeans are really tough to harvest when he does apply a fungicide. Another key factor was dry weather at harvest with very few dews in the mornings, so he didn’t have beans popping out at harvest. John notes that he had no seed quality issues since he was able to harvest timely. “Overall,” John says, “it has been an excep-tional soybean year. I am probably going to average 70 bushels per acre on my early planted soybeans.”

-Eddie McGriff
Regional Extension Agent for Agronomic Crops

 

Learn—month by month—the necessary gardening activities for lawns and shrubs, annuals and perennials, fruit and nut trees, and bulbs, roots, and tubers. Included is a timeline for activities such as soil testing, planting, pruning, fertilizing, pruning, mulching, indoor plantings—from cauliflower to okra, from camellias to dahlias to heirloom roses...

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Fire ants are the most common insect pests of home lawns. They occur in practically every lawn in the state! Even if you manage to achieve a totally fire ant-free yard, it probably won’t stay that way long because newly mated fire ant queens will quickly recolonize it. And new fire ant colonies thrive especially well in areas that are free of other, competing colonies. Fire ant control is a never-ending battle in the South, but there are steps you can take to keep your lawn and landscape relatively free of these troublesome pests.

The easiest, cheapest, most effective thing you can do to control fire ants is to use baits. Learn to use baits properly and preventively, and you will reduce the number of mounds in your yard by 80 to 90 percent. If you want even better control, you can supplement your baiting program with some additional tricks, like spot-treating mounds that survive the bait treatments.

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From the Ground Up! is back for another season! To kick off season two, host Brian Brown sits down with Jim Jacobi, a specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System who specializes in plant disease diagnosis. On this episode, Jacobi and Brown talk about the Plant Diagnostic Lab and how people can submit plant samples for testing.

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No space for a garden plot or even a raised-bed garden? This gardening season, don’t let these limitations stop you from growing fresh produce. Wheat straw bale gardens are the perfect options when space is limited. These compact, ready-made gardens can be easily cultivated in the backyard, on the patio or on the front stoop.

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April 10th (12:00-1:00 pm): "Promoting Bird Habitat in Working Forestland"
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April 24th (12:00-1:00 pm): "Forest Biomass Harvesting Methods, Products, Markets & Challenges"
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The Alabama Money Podcast crew focuses on when is the right time someone should purchase a home in episode eight. Cohosts Cynthia White and Portia Johnson discuss several subjects that aspiring home buyers should consider before signing on the dotted line.

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The World Cancer Research Fund estimates that 30 to 40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by appropriate diets, physical activity, and maintenance of appropriate body weight. They also estimate that at least 18 percent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States are related to body fatness, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, and/or poor nutrition. So, what can you do to decrease these cancer risks? Put a plan in place to improve your overall diet and health.

1. Get to and maintain a healthy weight throughout life.
2. Be physically active on a regular basis.
3. Follow a healthy eating pattern at all ages.
4. Avoid or limit alcohol intake (no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two for men).

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Do you ever wonder how some people spend so little money at the grocery store each week? You can do it too! The following are a few easy ideas for saving time and money at the grocery store.

Plan Your Meals

• Take time on the weekend to plan your snacks and meals for the week.
• Make a grocery list of the foods you will need for your weekly snacks and meals.
• Check your cupboards and refrigerator as you make your grocery list.
• Plan your menu around store specials, coupons, and in-season fruits and vegetables.

Shop Wisely

• Eat before you shop so you are not hungry.
• Only buy the foods on your grocery list.
• Compare prices of different brands and sizes.
• Buy generic or store brands to save money.
• Check for the expiration dates and use-by dates.
• Remember that convenience items save time but not money.
• Use the nutrition label to help make wise food choices.
• Check out your local farmers market and compare prices.

Don’t Forget

• Take your groceries home and put them away as quickly as possible.
• Make sure you store groceries properly to prevent foods from spoiling.
• Eat sensible portions.
• Use leftovers for another meal.

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