Published on April 16, 2026 7:06 pm
Last Updated on April 16, 2026 7:31 pm
By Rhiannon Branch for FarmWeekNow.com
Fifth-generation farmer Jasson Reichert, Pulaski County, began planting his 30th crop on April 1. And he hasn’t looked back.
“It’s just been a one-of-a-kind spring,” he told FarmWeek from his John Deere tractor cab on April 13 with half of his corn and a third of his soybeans in the ground. “I don’t ever remember getting this far along (this quickly) as we are this year.”
It has been a warm, dry spring for his fields in Pulaski and Massac counties with record high temperatures set this spring, making planting conditions nearly ideal.
“In previous years, a lot of times we’re looking for a dry ridge that we can get started on, but this year there wasn’t much that we couldn’t plant,” he said. “We’ve got good moisture underneath for the seed to come up with but it’s dry on top. The planter is running well and closing up nicely. Excellent conditions in my opinion.”
Reichert said the dry start this year resembles 2012, a major drought year, but forecasted rain has him hopeful. And the accelerated pace has boosted morale after a challenging season in 2025.
“I don’t want anything to be like last year,” Reichert said, recalling drought in the fall. “The only thing we had good last year was the early planted beans. Our corn was subpar and our late beans were nearly catastrophic.”
Driving through the fields, he said nitrogen and fuel prices are top of mind.
“They’re definitely out of control right now,” he said. “It’s causing us to do a little more no-till than we normally do with fuel prices.”
With the help of employees and family, including his son, Nolan, Reichert expects to have most of the planting done by the end of April, given the forecast.
Reichert farmed alongside his dad, Larry “Skip” Reichert, until his passing in 2019 and enjoys carrying the tradition with his own son.
Reichert even took his dad’s spot on the Pulaski-Alexander County Farm Bureau board.
“I thought I knew a little more about Farm Bureau than I did until I got in it for a while,” he admitted. “I’m not very good at the legislative side of things, and I didn’t realize that’s a big part of what they do.”
He appreciates that the organization is involved in the legislative process so he can be in the field focused on growing crops and caring for his cattle.
