|
Illinois Corn Growers Association District Director and past
President Matt Rush from the Wayne County city of Fairfield,
said this is one of the most challenging years corn producers
have had in a long time.
“We were able to get into the field and get a few things done
there the first couple weeks in April, then essentially we were
rained out until the middle of May to the end of May. Things
were looking good until everything that was planted the first
week in June had to be completely redone,” Rush told The Center
Square. “We just got a significant amount of rain on June 5th
and 6th, all the seed rotted and we had to essentially start
back from scratch.”
Rush said farmers were able to utilize federal resources.
“It’s always part of the risk that we take, and we’re thankful
that we have crop insurance through the Farm Bill,” Rush added.
The 2018 Farm Bill was extended last December, and the
recently-signed "big, beautiful bill" President Donald Trump
signed earlier this month provides crop insurance enhancements
through 2031.
Rush said recent times have been challenging, but farmers are
not just thinking about today.
“Farmers are really good innovators. The cards they’re dealt,
they find ways to make it work, but we would love to have some
economic certainty. We are in kind a down trend of an economic
cycle in the ag industry, and we’re just ready to have some
certainty and maybe some trade agreements come through and look
for brighter days ahead,” Rush said.
In the Illinois Legislature, Rush said farmers are paying close
attention to carbon sequestration bills and how they would
affect the state’s corn producers and ethanol plants.
|
|
