Field Notes Checks Planting Progress with Illinois Farmer Raben

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

Field Notes caught up with Jim Raben, who farms in southern Illinois, this week. While he has already begun corn planting, he has not made the progress normally expected due to extremely wet conditions.

“The weather is wet, wet, wet,” said Raben. “’We have had rain all the way through the spring. I planned on planting more this morning, but we have had rain again. We expect another 2- to 2 1/2- inches of rain just today.”

To listen to the full interview, including how both weather and economic considerations impact planting decisions, 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.