2020 Spring Farm Outlook

2020 Logan County Farm Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 19, 2020 Page 21 S pecialty crops can be defined as acreage set aside from standard grain crops that pull more income. Locally, that can mean seed crops, organic crops, or vegetables for restaurants and institutions, or retail sales. Growing specialty crops helps to diversify business opportunities, such as farmers markets, roadside stands, and you-pick orchards. There are drawbacks to producing a specialty crop. These drawbacks include the need for specialized equipment, handling and storage, finding or attracting buyers, weather hazards, poor markets, and pests. As we look ahead to a new growing season, here is a look at some of the specialty crops grown in the state, and how they held up last year. Hopefully, we can learn from last season and prepare better for the future. According to a report by Samantha McDaniel- Ogletree in the Herald & Review, farmers of specialty crops had a difficult time getting enough of their crops ready for farmers’ markets. Wet weather early in the planting season had a visible impact on specialty-crop farmers in 2019. “It was really difficult to get things planted on time this year,” says Dave Gregory, a Lynnville farmer, in the report. “We had a real small window where the ground was dry enough. If it was barely dry, we had to put it in hard.” The rain was “great for [his] onion and apple yields,” but the water also compacted the soil, causing some plants not to grow as they should. Gregory’s success with his varied produce, “from onions, sweet corn, peppers, egg plants, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower,” partially depended on the location of the crops when Illinois specialty crops in the 2019 season Continue 4 By Derek Hurley