Farm

Though some of the northern parts of the state received rain showers last week, Fayette County farmers were able to continue their harvest activities. Officials say that more than half of the corn has now been harvested, and many producers have started on soybeans. This year's harvest has gone much better than last year, when persistent rains delayed planting in the spring and hampered harvest activities in the fall.

When the Vandalia Rural King store moved to its new location, it was only a couple blocks away.
But judging by the reaction from customers, the new store is in a different universe.
"People really like the space, the openness of the store," said store manager John Beck. "There's also a lot more room in the parking lot."
Now, with more than 100,000 square feet of retail space (compared to less than 40,000 square feet before), the store has expanded many of its existing lines and  added others.

Harvest activities started in a big way in Fayette County during the past week. In the first picture, Mitch Johnson drives the combine on the farm owned by his father, Mark Johnson, in the Augsburg area. Many area producers are meeting or exceeding the yields predicted by ag officials.

To keep the harvest activities going, combine operators frequently unload harvested corn on the fly. In the second photo, Mitch Johnson augers corn into a grain cart being pulled by his grandfather, Tom Johnson.

Dry weather aids corn development

Very little, if any, precipitation, was received last week across the state, which continued to speed the crops along in their development.

Temperatures were more moderate last week, with the statewide average temperature being below normal for the first time since early July.

There were 6.8 days suitable for fieldwork last week across the state, making it a good week to put up good quality hay.

The corn crop advanced to 87 percent dented, compared to the five-year average of 61 percent.