The National Corn Growers Association continues its sixth season of Field Notes, a series that takes readers behind the farm gate to follow the year in the life of American farm families. While these growers come from diverse geographic areas and run unique operations, they share a common love for U.S. agriculture and the basic values that underpin life in farming communities.
Wednesday, Field Notes discussed the corn crop condition and harvest progress with Jim Raben, who farms in southern Illinois.
“We are actually finished harvesting corn,” he explained. “It was a quick harvest, and corn yields were down in our area. Ours were down between 30 and 35 percent off of average for early corn and 50 to sixty percent off of average for the late corn.”
To listen to the full interview, click here.
In north central Iowa, April Hemmes reported that wet conditions were hampering harvest progress.
“We are trying to plow through the mud here,” she said. “I have a little bit of my beans harvested. My area got nine or more inches of rain and flooded. Even now, we are still dying down and trying to get through it.”
To listen to the full interview, click here.
Dan Erickson, who farms in Minnesota, explained that the corn is in excellent condition despite rain delays.
“Our soybean harvest has been going strong the last five or six days now,” he said. “The weather has finally been decent, and the harvest is moving quickly. Two weeks ago, we had a lot of rain with total ranging between 7 and 14 inches. It took us some time to get rid of that water and get started.”
To listen to the full interview, click here.
Stay tuned over the coming weeks as Field Notes follows the growers who have opened their farms, families and communities up this year and meet the true faces of modern American agriculture.
COVID-19 Resources
NCGA is taking a series of actions to do our part to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the economic fallout it is creating for corn farmers and our customers. Short term, this means instituting policies to protect the health and safety of our stakeholders and the broader communities we serve. Long term, we’re focused on creating solutions to help corn farmers and our customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis.
CommonGround
CommonGround is a group of farmers connecting with consumers through conversations about science and research and personal stories about food and misinformation surrounding farming. Supported by the NCGA and state corn organizations.
SHP
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Administered by NCGA the partnership has more than 220 working farms enrolled in 16 states. SHP’s mission is to utilize science and data to partner with farmers who are adopting conservation agricultural practices that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm.
