In spite of some hard freezes and snow, Illinois farmers are still hard at work bringing in the last 19% of the corn harvest and the last 10% of the soybean crop.
Thanks to good weather, Mark Schleusener, a statistician with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Springfield, says that the 2023 harvest is ahead of schedule.
Farmers, particularly those in the northern part of the state, are still bringing in this year’s crops.
The USDA’s October forecast puts the Illinois 2023 harvest yields below those of 2022.
“We’re forecasting corn at 200 bushels per acre and soybeans at 61. Those are good numbers, not great numbers,” he said. No one is complaining.
Locally, Wayne and White County Farm Bureau Manager Doug Anderson says farmers have reported above average yields for both corn and soybeans are generally pleasantly surprised, especially considering the significant dry spell during the summer months.
Schleusener says, “2022 was a good year to grow practically anything, anywhere in Illinois.”
In 2022, Illinois had a record-high corn yield of 214 bushels per acre. Soybeans came in at 63
bushels an acre, compared to the 61 bushels that USDA has forecast for 2023.
Farmers in our neck of the woods have also been dealing with significant deer damage this year. Randy Anderson, a CropWatcher from Galatia reported considerable crop damage from deer in some fields.