Field Notes Checks Harvest Progress with Illinois Farmer Jim Raben

This week, the National Corn Growers Association continued its eighth 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.

Today, Field Notes caught up with Jim Raben, who farms in southern Illinois. Having already brought in half of his corn acres, he has switched over to harvesting soybeans now.

Much as he anticipated, the corn crop appears to be far less bountiful than in recent years.

“It will be the weakest year that we have had since 2012,” Raben said. “I have heard other farmers comment about their crops similarly.

“There will be some good yields in the county. There will be some 200 bushel per acre corn in the county in spots, but there will also be spots with 49 bushel per acre corn. That will just be in areas where the corn was planted wet and the weather then turned dry.”

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.