BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Area farmers here have long maintained that the rich, fertile soil inherent to McLean County farm fields is the most productive in the state of Illinois.<br>
The McLean County University of Illinois extension office confirmed the belief recently, announcing that the USDA’s county-level crop data report for 2007 shows the central Illinois county led the state in corn production.<br>
McLean County farmers planted 397,000 acres of corn for all purposes and harvested 394,000 acres for grain with a total production of more than 77.2 million bushels - an average yield of 196 bushels per acre, the extension reported.<br>
Using the September 2007 average cash price of $3.21 per bushel, the value of the harvest can be assessed at nearly $247.9 million.
The figures, which reflect a total of 3.4 percent of all corn production in Illinois, qualify McLean County as the state leader in corn production. McLean County extension agriculture program coordinator, Brian Lambert, said the local boom in corn production was a result of the decision by many area farmers to forgo soybean acreage for corn due to high 2007 corn prices.<br>
“There are, in reality, no more (total crop) acres in production than in years past,” Lambert told Farm World. “Actually, the total number of acres in McLean County planted to either corn or soybeans were down by 4,000 acres, or 0.64 percent, from the 2006 planted acres of 621,000. What took place in 2007 was a reallocation of acres into corn from soybean production.”<br>
Lambert said the ratio of corn planted to soybeans in McLean County in 2007 was 1.80:1 - the largest discrepancy in planting since 1967 - and that the shift in acreage came as little surprise to anyone.<br>
“This sort of transition is expected whenever the profitability of corn acreage is projected to be higher than the projected profitability of soybean acreage. Projections are key here, as these decisions are often made by farmers at harvest, or shortly thereafter,” Lambert said.<br>
Comparing 2007 with the previous year, corn acres harvested for grain increased by 16.7 percent. Corn production was up 15,780,800 bushels (a 25.7 percent increase) from the 2006 total of 61,443,200. Average corn yields improved by 14 bushels per acre from 2006.<br>
Soybean production fell by 20.4 percent, or 3,029,400 bushels from McLean County’s 2006 yield, while average yields remained at 54 bushels per acre for the fourth consecutive year.<br>
Wheat average yields plunged to their lowest county average since 1998, down 23 percent or 19 bushels per acre. The total combined value of McLean County’s corn, soybean and wheat crops was $347,521,200, the extension reported.<br>
Could the county’s corn harvest for 2008 exceed last year’s lofty total? It’s only likely if corn prices remain at high levels and additional CRP acreage is released for farming.<br>
“While there will be some acreage that is eligible to return to production each year, after the normal expiration of the multiple-year CRP contract, I don’t believe there is currently any early release from CRP contacts in the State of Illinois,” Lambert said.
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has complete crop production data for Illinois available on their website www.nass.usda.gov