Local farmers winding down harvest

EMINGTON – Even though Mother Nature hasn’t been providing us with the most ideal soybean cutting weather this year, local farmers continue poking away at the harvest.

“I would say, percentage-wise, we are probably a little farther along with our corn harvest than we are on beans,” said northeastern Livingston County farmer Jason Bunting.

The Buntings switched from soybeans back to corn Thursday because of cloudy, damp weather. When they have been out in the fields, most farmers are impressed with yields following a good growing season with ample rainfall.

Summer rains made things difficult for the Buntings since much of their operation involves hay making. Bunting is alright with those heavy rains since they led to good results in the field this fall. A head gasket blew in the combine, otherwise there haven’t been too many mechanical problems for the Buntings this harvest.

“Hopefully we get our combine back together by the end of the fall.”

Bunting, who also serves as president of the Livingston County Farm Bureau, is busy preparing for the Illinois Farm Bureau annual meeting in Chicago which is held the first weekend in December. The delegate body will gather and decide Farm Bureau policy.

“We’ve got a resolutions committee meeting here the first part of November to finalize what policy is coming from the counties,” Bunting said.