Yields could set records

CHENOA – Yields coming out of area fields continue to impress and records could be set this fall.

Many refer to the results as a pleasant surprise, although it runs pretty close to what local farmer Brian Schaumburg found with yield checks in September. Schaumburg started harvesting a few weeks ago and noticed the corn never seemed to dry down.

“We’re getting there. It’s down in the low 20s but we haven’t had anything in the teens yet,” Schaumburg told The Central Illinois Farm Network last week.

Schaumburg believes 50 percent of the soybeans are out in his area although quite a bit of corn remains standing in fields, as growers are in no hurry to pay a drying bill at the elevator. Between the recent wet weather and breakdowns, Schaumburg was out of the field for about a week.

“I just encourage people to be a little more careful out there because I certainly could have been.”

Several miles to the east near Fairbury in Livingston County, farmer Bob Bittner has all of his soybeans harvested, except for the replanted areas. The corn remains wetter than Bittner would like.

“I’ll have to wait,” he said. “It’s life on the farm.”