Illinois

Crop scouts reported strong potential corn yields in southwestern Iowa and the northern half of Illinois as the annual Pro Farmer crop tour headed toward release today of an estimate of the U.S. corn and soybean crops.

The refrain of "The Iowa Corn Song" - " We're from I-o-way, I-o-way, That's where the tall corn grows" - could be rewritten to say, "That's where the corn yields grow."

Ag consultancy Doane says the first day of its crop tour found corn and soybeans in outstanding condition in western Illinois and eastern Iowa. "We believe it's the strongest corn crop we have observed in our long history of this crop tour," says its report. Doane says corn yields in western Illinois could be 10 bushels an acre higher than last year.

Crop conditions in Iowa and Illinois, the two biggest corn- and soybean-growing states, out-shine U.S. ratings in a year that seems headed for record harvests, said USDA data. The neighboring Midwestern states grew 31 percent of U.S. corn and 27 percent of U.S. soybeans last year, says USDA.

Farmers could see greater financial rewards by focusing on production costs than expanding the amount of land they operate, according to data from farms across Illinois, say three U-Illinois economists. Brandy Krapf, Dwight Raab and Bradley Zwilling compared the per-acre cost of seed, fertilizer, pesticides, equipment, fuel and utilities for three categories of farms - one group was 1,200-2,000 acres, another was 2,000-3,000 acres and the third was over 3,000 acres.

It's field trip weekend for some of the students in a University of Illinois program that introduces people to fruit and vegetable farming. The program, offered at three sites around the state, is in its second year and has roughly 100 participants ranging from beginning farmers to crop farmers who want to diversify. "Our graduates are responding to the desire for local produce," says project manager Mary Hosier.

Corn Belt farmers could lose money on this year's crop if prices are in the range that USDA expects, says economist Gary Schnitkey of U-Illinois. At farmdoc daily, Schnitkey presents sample balance sheets showing potential revenues and costs for a corn farmer in central Illinois with high-yielding land. There is a $100 range for revenue, depending whether prices are $3.65 a bushel or $4.35.

Slowed by a cold and wet spring, farmers have planted 29 pct of corn land in the 18 major states, 13 points behind the five-year average of 42 pct planted by the first week of May, says the weekly Crop Progress report. A week ago, planting, at 19 pct, was 9 points behind average. If corn is planted after May 20, yields are lower.

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The Midwest lost 1.06 percent of its farmland in the two decades ending in 2021; development accounted for half of the loss, said three Ohio State University analysts on Monday. "The role of large urban areas is paramount, as 81 percent of land lost to development in the eight states occurred within metropolitan statistical areas," which are regions with a core city of at least 50,000 people and strong ties to its surrounding communities.