2021 Spring Farm

Page 42 2021 Logan County Farm Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 18, 2021 It requires preparedness, perspective and perseverance to stay in crop farming since the product is at the mercy of the elements and pests 24/7. Illinois 2020 soybeans The state soybean average was 59.0 bushels to the acre with the top 11 counties averaging over 65.0 bu/a. Logan and Sangamon counties tied second in Illinois’ highest average at 67.6, to Piatt County’s high 70.5 bu/a. Notable and seen best by viewing the subsequent shown color blocked county yield maps, was location. In both corn and soybeans, Logan County was at the center of the counties with the highest yields in the state for both corn and soybeans. For soybeans, nine centrally located contiguous counties measured 65.5 to 70.5 bu/a. Western Illinois’ Hancock and Warren counties rounded out the top soybean averages at 65.6 and 65.5 bu/a, respectively. Logan County’s estimated soybean yield did not get reported for 2019. With no report in 2019, using nine years of figures for the so-called 10-year average, this figure increased from 59.9 to 67.7 bu/a. Not to be confused, both the 2020 bu/a and the 10-year average bu/a are the same figure, 67.7 bu/a, but each has a different meaning. As described above it represents the average over 10 years, and as seen below it represents a single year, 2020. Logan County planted 145,000 acres soybeans, harvested 144,400 acres for 9,761,000 bushels, averaging 67.7 bu/a. Illinois counties producing highest volume of soybeans: McLean County continues to hold the lead in number acres planted and harvested resulting in the highest production with 307,500 acres planted, 306,500 acres harvested, yielding 19,252,000 bushels soybeans with an average 62.8 bu/a. Iroquois County holds a close second producing 17,081,000 bushels, 59.0 bu/a; and Champaign comes in third at 16,575,000 bushels, 65.0 bu/a. Have you ever wondered how many corn kernels or beans fill a bushel. There’s probably an average based on varieties and sizes for each grain. But think about it, these millions of bushels of corn and beans reported by 102 Illinois counties give the term ‘bean counter’ a new perspective. [Jan Youngquist] Source https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_ by_State/Illinois/Publications/County_ Estimates/