2020 Spring Farm Outlook

2020 Logan County Farm Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 19, 2020 Page 23 he planted them last year. Some areas were dryer than others, which determined optimal planting locations. Molly Gleason, communications director for Illinois Stewardship Alliance, says “the weather has had as much adverse effect on specialty crop farmers as it has commodity crop farmers…unlike commodity farmers, those that focus on specialty crops often feel the impact of bad season more because there are fewer programs that provide aid to farmers in the event of bad weather or prevented planting.” Specialty crop farmers sometimes plant a variety of crops for this reason- to provide some financial protection if one fails. However, because of the wide variety of crops, it can be difficult to qualify for any kind of crop insurance, making a bad season worse. One of the more popular agricultural features to see in the state is apple orchards, and a common fall activity is a family visit to an orchard for freshly-picked apples and related foods. Last year, orchards dealt with a few setbacks, mainly due to an unusually-brutally cold winter in 2018, dangerous flooding in the spring, and relatively dry weather in the summer. As a result of those climatological factors, some orchards saw a smaller crop in the fall. Some apples were weeks behind schedule, resulting orchards pushing back opening day. According to a news report by Andrea Flores in East Moline, apple orchard owner Vince Bull says “It was a tough call, and [we were] losing money every week to keep it closed, but our main objective is to make a top quality product for people to come and enjoy.” Flores writes that the orchard saw a forty percent smaller crop than usual. But that wasn’t just because of the weather. Deer have a habit of feeding in orchards, making a small crop situation worse. Due to these problems, the orchard had to restrict business by a few weeks. The retail shop was open through Thanksgiving. But some orchards had to restrict business even further, or close for the year. Apple orchards in McHenry and Lake Counties also delayed opening, and at least one orchard shut down for good. Lang’s Orchard, also in Woodstock, did not open in the fall, but not for good. The reason behind the closure, according to a Patch report by Amie Schaenzer, is due to smaller batches of high quality apples. Schaenzer’s report suggests that last winter’s extreme cold, as well as the longevity of said weather that continued into April and May, caused a lot of problems for Lang’s crop. Their website currently states that they hope 2020 will be a better year for their crops and Mother Nature will allow them to open again. Continue 4