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| More Corn, Fewer Beans Projected on Illinois Farms in 2009 |
The United States Department of Agriculture is projecting corn growers will plant more of their crop while soybeans will be scaled back a little bit.
The USDA released its prospective plantings report on Tuesday. The agency predicts corn growers will plant about 12.2 million acres this year, up 1 percent from last year's 12.1 million. Soybeans, however, should experience a slight decrease - from 9.2 million in 2008 to 9.1 million this year.
Mark Lambert of the Illinois Corn Growers Association is taking the statistics with a grain of salt. He says the USDA's annual report serves as the guide every year, but there are some things to take into account this year. First, Lambert says some farmers might not have prepared their fields for a certain type of crop. That means they'll likely wait to see what the markets and demand for corn and soybeans will be like, and will plant accordingly.
Lambert also says thanks to newer technology, farmers are likely able to overcome bad planting seasons. He points to last season as an example, which was a year that provided atrocious planting conditions. Yet, despite widespread flooding and some crops not getting planted until mid-June, Lambert says 2008 produced the third-best production on record.
Chris Bickett of the Illinois Soybean Association agrees that the USDA's prediction might not be entirely accurate, not necessarily because of market forces, but because of the current weather conditions. He says corn typically requires dry topsoil for planting, and while those are also ideal conditions for soybeans, they're not required, and "you can mud [soybeans] if you have to."
(Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 03 31 09 by Newsroom |
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