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Illinois Corn Harvest

I enjoyed a first hand view of the harvest here in Central Illinois this past October.

A FarmPolicy reader who operates a grain and soybean operation right in the heart of the “Land of Lincoln,” between Springfield and Lincoln, graciously hosted me for an afternoon combine ride and discussion about the harvest, corn genetics, conservation and the direction of U.S. farm policy.

The mechanization and equipment process of getting the grain out of the field and into storage is amazing to see. Three men made quick work of this field in about a day: One operated the combine, one transported the corn from the harvester to a grain truck, and the third participant delivered the grain to storage. The process continued non-stop.

I recall riding the combine with my Grandfather in the late 1970s and early 1980s when I was about 10 years old. He operated a relatively new Massey-Ferguson that had a four row harvesting head and, with the help of family and hired hands, transported the grain to storage in wagons that were pulled by tractors.

A plow generally followed the combine through the field leaving the landscape nearly pure black as all of the remaining harvest debris was turned over under the rich soil.

This type of operation is truly a relic thirty years later. Average yields have shot up from about 100 bushels an acre to around 170 today. The farm I was on in October was generating yields even greater than that.

Likewise farm size has also grown substantially.

Fortunately for farmers, as this surge in production has unfolded, the price of corn has held steady. And the implementation of modern conservation practices have not only lowered production costs, but post-harvest fields are mostly left with a full cover of harvest debris that ensures the soil quality until spring planting.

Observing this year’s harvest and remembering the annual harvests from years ago, it will be interesting to see just how much more productive the American farmer will become in the next decade.

-Keith

 Email This Post Posted by Keith Good • December, 22, 2006 • 1:25 pm