Illinois corn harvest may be down

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- As Illinois farmers begin shipping corn from fields to grain silos, it's starting to shape up as one of the most erratic harvests in recent years.

Crops that survived inclement weather through much of the growing season are not expected to yield as much grain as expected. But even though farmers probably will have less corn to sell, they'll probably get a little more money for it.

Shortly after corn was planted this year, much of Illinois went through an unseasonable cold, damp period when the plants most needed heat. Once the temperatures warmed up, much of the state experienced drought-like conditions.

Mark Lambert, spokesman for the Illinois Corn Growers Association, said the group is hearing widely mixed results across the state. He said some farmers who anticipated a poor crop are harvesting more than they expected; some who expected high yields are disappointed. No matter their management plant, there's little rhyme or reason.

"Weather patterns were scattered. Some people planted early, some people planted later," Lambert said.

Race to harvest

Now that harvest is here, Lambert said, many farmers are involved in a race to get even healthy corn out of the field for fear bad weather damaged the stalks so much they won't remain standing much longer.

Lambert said overall, the harvest should be less than last year. That's due in part to lower yields but also because Illinois farmers planted about 300,000 acres less corn than last year.

That could be a mixed blessing, since a glut of corn has held prices down in recent years.

Jim Barlow, interim head of the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, said federal officials already are predicting a corn crop smaller than in recent years. He said the market has already responded, with prices at the end of last week about $1.90 a bushel compared to about $1.56 at the same time last year.

But that doesn't necessarily mean farmers will make much more money. As prices increase, the amount the government pays in price supports decreases.

But Barlow said the signs point to possible significant increases in grain prices next year if there is another less-than-bumper crop and stockpiles are further diminished.

Officials say its still possible for this year to yield a record soybean crop, but few farmers have started harvesting soybeans.

Lambert said lower corn yields but higher prices should benefit many farmers. However, that could hurt those who must sell this year's crop immediately just to pay bills since they won't be able to cash in on price increases later in the year.