“Honest Abe” Lincoln (portrayed by George Buss of Freeport) helped Illinois State Fair officials cut the ribbon opening the Illinois Dept. of Agriculture Tent at the 2016 Illinois State Fair in Springfield on August 12. (T. Alexander photo)

The 2016 Illinois State Fair kicked off last week, with Illinois pork producers again holding a major presence. But first, farmers are facing a large corn harvest, according to recent USDA and independent projections. In addition, there has been a slight downturn in farm real estate values in 2016, as feared. For these stories and more news for Illinois farmers and rural dwellers, please read on …

Illinois corn yield up 25 bu./acre

SPRINGFIELD — The 2016 corn harvest in Illinois keeps getting larger. That’s according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Heartland Regional Field Office, which projected a corn yield of 200 bushels per acre — or 25 bu./acre more than last year’s harvest — for Illinois farmers in their Aug. 12 Crop Production report. This even though planted area is estimated at 11.7 million acres, unchanged from last year, and harvested area is forecast at 11.5 million acres, also unchanged. Corn production is projected at 2.3 billion bu., up 14 percent from 2015. This would tie for the biggest corn yield in state history (2014), and trail only the 2014 record for total production.

In addition, a record state soybean yield of 57 bu./acre is projected by NASS, along with record-setting production of 561 million bushels.

Bell: Central Illinois corn yields top USDA estimate

DEER CREEK — Bell Enterprises, Inc.’s annual Corn Yield Survey, this year comprising 128 crop fields around Congerville, Deer Creek, Goodfield and Mackinaw, has resulted in a projection of an average raw yield (standard 90,000 seeds/bushel) of 216.88 bushels per acre and an average adjusted yield (assuming 83,000 seeds/bu. based on average kernel weight) of 235.17 bu./acre. Bell’s projections, issued August 10, eclipse USDA’s Aug. 12 projected Illinois corn yield of 200 bu./acre (see previous news item). 72 percent of the tour participants concluded their corn crop would be mature (black layer) by Sept. 1. Bell operates four grain elevators near the test sites in central Illinois.

Farm real estate continues slide

URBANA — Farm real estate values in Illinois are sliding along with grain commodity prices but overall are still riding a past wave of highs, according to Brad Zwilling of the Illinois FBFM Association and University of Illinois Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACES). “The average Illinois farm real estate value for Illinois in 2016 was $7,400 per acre. This includes the value of all land and buildings. The figure was 1.3 percent lower than the 2015 average of $7,500 per acre,” Zwilling reported, in an Aug. 10 essay published on the Dept. ACES’ farmdocDAILY website.

The 2016 decrease is the second since 2009 and only the third since 1987, Zwilling noted, adding that “even with the slight decrease in 2016, Illinois farm real estate values have increased 19 percent in five years and 84 percent in 10 years.”

Farm real estate data from USDA-NASS and the Census of Agriculture is used to construct index numbers of Illinois farmland values. The index can be found at www.farmdoc.illinois.edu/manage/pdfs/index_numbers.pdf.

Illinois Farm Fact:

From 2005 to 2015, more than one-third of farm-related fatalities (91 of 254) in Illinois resulted from tractor rollovers. (Illinois OSHA/Ill. Dept. of Labor)

Pork power at Illinois State Fair

SPRINGFIELD — Pork Power is alive and well at the Illinois State Fair during its 10-day run concluding Aug. 21 at the fairgrounds in Springfield, courtesy of the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA). Located across from the Grandstand and the Avenue of Flags, the Pork Patio is in its familiar location in the Illinois Commodities Pavilion. The Pork Patio offers the unique DaBurger, the famous Pork Chop on a Stick, the popular Pork-tato and many more delectable pork-centric dishes.

While there, fairgoers can support the Pork Power foodbank program by donating $10 or more in exchange for a nifty “Grab Life by the Bacon” IPPA T-shirt. Pork power has donated more than 500,000 pounds of ground pork, or more than 2 million servings, to hungry families in Illinois.

“Illinois pig farmers work hard each day to care for their animals to help feed everyone in Illinois,” said Bob Frase, IPPA president. “They are raising food for their own family, but also want to ensure other families don’t go hungry.”

And for free family entertainment, make sure to stop by the IPPA Piglets on Parade birthing center and the Swine Barn at the Farmer’s Little Helper exhibit on the fairgrounds. (IPPA news)

Vertical tillage program comes to Sangamon

BLOOMINGTON — Farmers in the Lake Springfield Watershed region will soon have low-cost access to conservation tillage equipment as part of the Lake Springfield Watershed Management Plan. Special grant funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Association and Springfield City Water, Light and Power will allow farmers there to rent an 18-foot Great Plains Turbo Max vertical tillage implement, the Sangamon County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) announced.

The program was launched with the goal of reducing surface water runoff from farm fields in the sensitive watershed area, which will restrict the runoff of farm chemicals and soil that can reach public water sources. Currently, only around 12 percent of Lake Springfield Watershed cropland acres is no-tilled. Resource Conservationist Brian Rennecker is interested in talking to the region’s farmers about how vertical tillage has become the standard for yield-boosting seedbed preparation while offering more residue management characteristics for the fall.

Interested growers should contact Rennecker and the Sangamon SWCD at (217) 241-6635, Ext. 3 or Brain.rennecker@il.nacdet.net. (Illinois Corn Daily Update)

–R.F.D. NEWS & VIEWS: For Illinois Farmers and Rural Dwellers–