2021 Fall Farm

2021 Logan County Fall Farm Outlook Lincoln Daily News Oct. - Nov. 2021 Page 5 Fall farm synopsis: he fall harvest continues as the combines roll with favorable weather. Harvest started quickly, then slowed just about as fast. Corn harvest moved at a good clip all through the second half of September. Rains, heavy dews, and later maturing soybeans greatly slowed the soybean harvest, and soybeans remain the majority of the crop yet to be harvested. The 2021 harvest results are varying greatly. From creek bottom ground which flooded in June and July to better drained ground with some natural rolling topography shows the great variations from zero to almost record yields. My house showed over 23 inches of rain between April and the end of September. Some areas of the county had much more, and some much less. The June total of almost eight-and-a-half inches was notable. Of course, that time period saw the extreme heavy rains in McLean County of well over 10 inches in a two day period. This fed the creek systems leading to record flood events, and the complete loss of crops planted in those bottomlands. The interesting nature of doing business during the era of Covid-19 extends to agriculture. Transportation of inputs and machinery is at the top of the list. Labor to produce goods is harder to find, and more expensive. Transportation backlogs are well noted in both domestic and foreign shipments. Add in the chip shortage for everything with a sensor, and production has been curtailed in the ag sector. The machinery market has mimicked the auto market. Good used equipment is quite valuable, and manufacturers are doing more production on a custom order basis for a year or more into the future. Economics is still at the center of agriculture. In areas with very good yields and the increased prices, U of I projected budgets show some favorable returns in the $300 per acre range for central Illinois corn and soybeans. As always, much of the Continue 4 T BY LDN AG ADVISOR JOHN FULTON