2013 LOGAN COUNTY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com October 25, 2013 Page 11
Costs grew and income
shrank for producers in 2013
A
t
the time of this writing, it is Oct. 20, 2013,
and less than 50 percent of the crops have
been harvested in Logan County. There are
three reasons for this late harvest.
The first reason is that because of continuous
rains in the spring, beans and corn were planted
very late, some as late as May 15 (significant
because that was the plant date for corn back
when it was grandpa’s farm). Late planting
pushes back the harvest date.
The second reason that such large contingents
of the crops are still in the field is that the corn
crop is coming in very wet, with harvested
moisture above 20, and producers are taking
this extra bit of time before the first major frost
to dry the corn down in the field. Corn with
lower moisture levels presented at the elevator
means the producer will pay less for expensive
drying processes.
And the third reason the crops are still in the
field is that the prices for corn and beans right
now are lower than desired, and lower than
STORY BY JIM YOUNGQUIST
