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Farm

  • Crop yield estimates

    The 2010 Illinois corn crop is expected to yield 180 bushels per acre, up 6 bushels from last year’s yield and equal to the record yield set in 2004.
    Production of corn for grain would be 2.23 billion bushels, up 9 percent from 2009. Favorable conditions led to very early planting dates, followed by generally good growing weather with mostly adequate rainfall, although temperatures were excessive.

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  • Farm Briefs

    County crop survey will be held Aug. 31

    Fayette County Farm Bureau will host its annual crop survey on Tuesday, Aug. 31.

    On that day, teams composed of farmers, bankers, agribusiness workers and the media will be dispatched throughout the county to check on the progress of area corn and soybean crops.

    This year, the survey will begin with a breakfast at the Vandalia Country Club at 8:30 a.m. The survey itself will last   two to three hours.

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  • Hay testing needed due to wet spring

    Due to the wet weather this spring, farmers enrolled in the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE) are being asked to have their hay crops tested.
    "There is a lot of 2010 hay that has suffered quality loss," said Scherrie V. Giamanco, U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agnecy executive director.
    She said tests must be conducted for each cutting.
    FSA requires farmers who are enrolled in the SURE program to maintain written, verifiable evidence indicating both the quality loss and the production quantity loss.

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  • IFB invites 4-Hers to showman event

    The 11th annual master showmanship contest, sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau, will be held next Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Junior Livestock Barn at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
    The master showmanship contest recognizes 4-H members who have excelled at showing animals in their county fairs.
    They are judged on their handling of each of three species of animals: beef, sheep and swine.
    Then they are quizzed by judges on their knowledge of animal husbandry and livestock production.

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  • CRP signup open through Aug. 27

    The Fayette County Farm Service Agency will conduct a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general signup through Aug. 27.
    Producers with cropland not currently enrolled in CRP, or producers with CRP contracts expiring on Sept. 30, 2010, may submit offers.
    Land must have been planted, or considered planted four out of six crop years from 2002-2007.
    CRP contracts may be 10 or 15 years in length. Producers must have owned or operated the land for at least 12 months prior to Aug. 27, 2010. Recorded deeds will be required to prove ownership.

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  • South Central FS partners with TGM in marketing pact

    South Central FS of Vandalia and Total Grain Marketing (TGM) of Effingham this week announced an agreement through  which South Central FS will join TGM, effective Aug. 31.
    TGM is a regional grain marketing venture, formed in 2006 by Effingham-Clay Service Co., Wabash Valley Service Co. and Growmark Inc. (the parent company of South Central FS).
    Byron Sikma, South Central FS general manager, said that joining TGM provides farmers greater access to grain markets.

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  • Farm Progress Show to be held in Iowa this year

    Field demonstrations will are an integral part of the Farm Progress Show, also known as the “World’s Fair of Agriculture,” set to be held near Boone, Iowa, Aug. 31-Sept. 2.
    Three types of demonstrations are planned for this year’s show, weather permitting, said  Matt Jungmann, Farm Progress national shows manager.

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  • State's crops still ahead of average

    Precipitation was sporadic throughout the state last week. Rainfall totals ranged from .38 inches in Central Illinois to 1.14 inches in Southern Illinois. Some farmers reported flooding and standing water that hindered crop development.
    However, most farmers reported dry conditions that allowed them to continue mowing and spraying, with a state average of 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork.
    The state averaged .63 inches of rainfall, which is .13 inches below normal. Temperatures averaged 77.1 degrees, which is 2.7 degrees above normal.

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  • Farm production expenses fall

      After setting a record high in 2008, U.S. farm production expenditures decreased by nearly $20 billion in 2009 – the first major decline in nearly a quarter century, according to the Farm Production Expenditures 2009 summary released this week  by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
    The average production expenditures per farm fell 6.4 percent in 2009, from $140,075 to $131,137. Total U.S. expenditures totaled $287 billion, down from $307 billion in 2008.  

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  • Making hay while the sun shines

    Clayton Whitten bales hay Tuesday afternoon on land along Zent Drive north of Vandalia. Recent rains have made for strong hay crops – if farmers can time it right to cut it, dry it and bale it before the next rains come. With temperatures in the mid 90s and humidity high, it was a hot job on Tuesday.

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