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Page 4 March 23, 2017
2017 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine
LINCOLN DAILY NEWS
2016 featured record
soybean yields and
decreasing incomes
L
ogan County enjoyed a record soybean year after all, but farm income
continues to decline. The Logan County yield of 66.6 bushels per acre
eclipsed the old record of 63.7 bushels per acre set during the 2014 growing
season. Continuing with good yields, the corn crop averaged 219.4 bushels
per acre in 2016, but was shy of the 230.8 record yield of 2014.
By John Fulton
Yields have been on a phenomenal run over the
last 30 years. Many improvements in genetics,
equipment, timely operation, and support service
improvements have all contributed to this run.
However, there is an old adage which states
something like “production isn’t the only
measure of profit.” In a recent article from
Gary Schnitkey and Darrel Good, University
of Illinois Extension Specialists, income
calculations were based on 203 bushel corn and
61 bushel soybean averages. Those are some
lofty numbers which are about 10% over 10 year
average figures for Logan County.
Another side to the profit triangle is the markets
for selling grain. Average price estimates for
2017 were $3.60 corn and $10 soybeans. Again
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