Illinois Corn & Bean County Estimates Released

SPRINGFIELD – The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released county estimates for 2013 corn and soybean production in Illinois. The February 20 report showed that Iroquois County in western Illinois topped the state with 360,000 acres harvested. Top yield-per-acre honors went to Christian County with 199.8 bu./acre, while McLean County led the state in production with 63,008,000 bushels. McLean County farmers harvested 334,000 acres of corn at a rate of 188.6 bu./acre, according to the report.

Of area interest, Peoria County farmers harvested 107,900 acres of corn and averaged 180.5 bu./acre with 19,473,000 bu. in production. Tazewell County averaged a harvest of 155,500 acres at 177.1 bu./acre and 27,534 bu. in total production, while Woodford County producers harvested 133,100 corn acres at 192.3 bu./acre with 25,597,000 bu. in total production.

Statewide, farmers harvested 11,800,000 corn acres on 12,000,000 planted acres, averaging 178 bu./acre with total production at 2,100,400,000 bu.

McLean County also led the state in soybean acres harvested (285,000) and total soybean production (16,115,000 bu.), according to the report. De Kalb County led all 102 Illinois counties in soybean yield per acre, however, with a 58.4 bu./acre average.

Peoria County farmers harvested 82,900 acres of soybeans, averaging 50 bu./acre with total production of 4,144,000 bu. In Tazewell County, producers harvested 109,700 acres at a rate of 53.5 bu./acre. Total soybean production was 5,871,000 bu. And in Woodford County, soybean acreage harvested was estimated at 107,900, with an average yield of 55.7 bu./acre and total production of 6,014,000 bu.

Statewide, farmers harvested 9,420,000 acres of soybeans from 9,450,000 planted acres, averaged a yield of 49 bu./acre and had a total production of 461,580,000 bushels– the best in the nation.

Soybean Summit This Friday

PEORIA – The Peoria Civic Center will be the site of the Illinois Soybean Association’s 2014 Illinois Soybean Summit this Friday, March 7. WILLAg Radio’s Todd Gleason will emcee the event, which is funded in part by the Illinois soybean checkoff.

The one-day summit brings Illinois soybean producers and industry representatives from many major crop input suppliers and manufacturers together. It serves to encourage growers to learn new techniques and innovative practices that can help boost yields and maximize profits. There will also be an on-site trade show. In addition, certified crop advisors can earn as many as six CEUs for attending.

Soybean Summit presenters include Bryce Knorr, senior editor of Farm Futures, Bryce Anderson, DTN Senior Ag Meteorologist, Jerry Hatfield, laboratory director for USDA-ARS, National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, and Matt and Sherrie Kay Miles, Arkansas soybean growers who have achieved the 100 bushel-per-acre plateau.

The 2014 Illinois Soybean Summit is free for Illinois farmers and those involved in the Illinois soybean industry. (WILLAg news)

Soybean Growers Support Cuba Trade

BLOOMINGTON – Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG) joined other Illinois groups in leading discussions about establishing and improving trade relations with Cuba, according to a news release issued last week by the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA). ISA is a member organization in the Illinois Cuba Working Group, which met in Springfield recently to discuss the outlook for developing trade relations with the nation.

“We are at a moment in time when things may be changing in Illinois and in the United States for Cuba,” noted Antonio Zamora, keynote speaker for the working group’s recent conference. “Illinois is enormously important for Cuban policy.”

The U.S. is the primary supplier of whole soybeans to Cuba, which purchases around five million bushels per year. But U.S. soybean producers are losing soybean meal and oil market share there to competitors who are more geographically challenged than is the U.S. As recently as 2006, the U.S. enjoyed a greater than 75 percent market share for Cuba’s soybean meal and oil imports, but in recent years the lion’s share has gone to Brazil.

“Cuba is an important market for Illinois soybeans, given the soybean, meal and oil export potential,” said Bill Raben, ISA chairman. “ISG is exploring opportunities to build trade with Cuba, including favoring immediate removal of agricultural trade and travel restrictions and urging Cuban eligibility for various U.S. credit programs. Although ag products are exempt from the embargo, we are losing significant market share on our soy exports because of restrictions the U.S. imposes on financial transactions with Cuba.” (ISA news release)

Snyder to Lead Field to Market

BLOOMINGTON – Illinois Corn announced last week that Field to Market, The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, has named Rod Snyder as president. Snyder served as director of public policy with the National Corn Growers Association, a position he resigned last week. He’ll still be working closely with the NCGA and the Illinois Corn Growers Association, which are members of Field to Market when he begins his new duties on March 10.

“After years of involvement with Field to Market, I’m proud to join the alliance as president,” Snyder stated. “Field to Market members are committed to helping provide food, fiber and fuel for 9 billion people across the globe by 2050, while conserving finite natural resources, which is one of the most significant challenges facing our generation.”

Illinois Corn has been educating members about Field to Market’s Fieldprint Calculator, which allows farmers to measure their “sustainability quotient” against standards. (Ill. Corn Daily Update)

Illinois Farm Fact:

Through the collaboration of Illinois’ political, business and community support, Congress passed the Trade Sanctions and Reform Act in 2001. The Act permitted the sale of agricultural products to Cuba. (Ill. Soybean Assoc.)

(Tim Alexander is a freelance reporter who writes agriculture, news and feature articles for the News Bulletin, Farm World and many other publications.)