2011 agriculture in Logan County

By John Fulton

[March 24, 2012]  We managed to do it again in 2011 with relatively high yields -- in the face of adverse weather for much of the growing season.

The state average corn yield was 157 bushels per acre. Logan County averaged 173.4 with 37,017,000 bushels of corn produced. At an estimated price of $6 per bushel, that means the corn crop will put over $222 million into the Logan County economy.

For soybeans, the state average yield was 47.0 bushels per acre. Logan County averaged 54.6 with production of 6,547,000 bushels. At a figure of $11 per bushel, that means an additional $72 million for the economy.

Add over $20 million in livestock income to this figure, and the commodity impact of agriculture on Logan County is over $300 million!

The trend in size of farms continues, with both ends of the spectrum increasing. Farms less than 50 acres are increasing at the fastest rate, and farms over 1,000 acres are close behind in rate of gain.

The smaller farms are usually reaching for a niche market. These specialty markets can vary widely. Logan County has organic livestock, produce and hay. We also have flowers, meat goats, goat milk and other commodities produced. The desire to purchase locally grown items has fueled the increase in small farms.

Our country has the safest, most abundant food supply on the planet. Knowing the person who produces your food adds an extra element of security to our local food supply. The growing trend of locally grown food for commercial applications, such as schools, also is increasing specialty production.

While specialty production pales in a dollars-and-cents comparison with corn, soybeans and pigs, the production is increasing. It is also a way to increase income on diversified farms or to provide income for families on small tracts of ground.

As citizens become further removed from production agriculture, education is important.  This is occurring through educational programs for students, farm-related tours and with many of the "entertainment" farming ventures.

Agriculture, for the most part, is still family-oriented. There is a common misconception that corporations are heavily involved in agriculture production. Where corporations are involved is in the supply of inputs to the family farming operations.

Many of the modern farm machines rely on computers to operate. The use of the global information system for precision agriculture has become commonplace. This system uses GPS in conjunction with other systems to assist with variable-rate fertilizer applications, yield mapping, tiling and other drainage, auto-steer systems for tractors, and others. The
fastest growing area of agriculture-related jobs is in the technology sector.

The outlook for the 2012 season is hopeful. We have seen an unprecedented era of high commodity prices, particularly in the grains and oilseeds. We have also seen unprecedented input costs for everything from seed to fertilizer. Producers have been using extra income to invest in machinery and technology. The outlook for the upcoming season is greatly dependent on global economies, markets and supplies. We truly have become global in our economy, and this is especially true in agriculture.

[By JOHN FULTON, University of Illinois Extension]

This is one of the articles you will find in our special Spring 2012 Farm Outlook Magazine.

The magazine is online now. Click here to view all the articles, which include:

Introduction by John Fulton
Weather: The biggest variable
2011 crop yields
Productivity: Corn-on-corn
Alternative income
Protecting your income with insurance
The value of land conservation
Property taxes on farmland
Land value in Logan County
Increasing yield with aerial application
The importance of Ag Scholarships