Thursday, May 30, 2013

corn belt crop progress

       * Please note that if you are reading a link to this text, more information is available at www.foodresourcebank.blogspot.com  And thank You for your interest.  I update several times a month about agriculture and a hunger project (FRB) from my farm in Illinois.

Crop progress:

     Corn is 87% planted but that does not mean every farmer is 87% done.  The problem is that in some areas the rains have not allowed field work to progress as normal.  That is leaving 10 % of the farmers with significant acres to finish and with more rain falling this week some of them will chose to change to beans in an effort to get the best income.  With forecasts of another hot summer beans may be able to outperform late planted corn that would pollinate in August.  There could be 3-4 million acres included in this shift of plans.
Every year there are areas that suffer from floods, droughts, and other obstacles to farming as planned and I always sympathise with them.  Please keep them in your prayers.
   I have been very lucky. Although planting was delayed by a few weeks I was able to get all of my corn and Soybeans planted and they are now growing and out of the ground looking good.  With this progress I also priced some of my production for delivery this fall at harvest.  I think estimates of this year's production are higher than I think is likely and prices may prove me right by going higher, but these prices give me a projected profit so it was time to get some sales done.  My rain totals have been .6 inches, .6 inches and .5inches with drying days in between but since May 20th have not seen any field work here.  South of our farm rains have been over 5 inches several times and that has stoped all progress in the fields.


                                                      Serving Together, Dean Lundeen
 

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