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The Area Harvest Is Looking Good -- But Farmers Aren't Done Yet

Jenna Dooley
/
WNIJ

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the Illinois corn and soybean harvest is almost over.  Northern Illinois farmers say they have a little further to go, but things are looking positive.

Mark Tuttle is president of the DeKalb County Farm Bureau. He farms near Somonauk.  He says the area corn harvest is well more than half done. He says it’s shaping up to be a strong year.

“The corn has been running much drier than normal, and yields have been very, very good. And so, the only thing we’re going to have a problem with, with the corn, down the road, the last twenty-five percent of this crop, is the storage is going to be a little bit tight on it,” he says.

Tuttle says the low moisture content of the corn this year will save farmers on the cost of gas used in drying the crop.  He says that will help offset the lower price farmers will get per bushel due to the abundant harvest.

Tuttle says the size and quality of the soybean harvest is also looking good. 

“The beans are, I’d say, eighty percent done in our area. Yields have been very good. Conditions have been good until this rain event we just had. And so far I’d say DeKalb County has fared pretty well with the crops and the weather,” he says.

But Tuttle cautions that while farmers are nearing completion of this year’s harvest, they’re not done yet – and that means slow-moving farm vehicles will be on the roads for a while longer.  He has a message for the driving public.

“As we get shorter days, later in the afternoon machinery will be moving around and visibility’s reduced, so keep an eye out for that.”   

On top of that, Daylight Savings Time ends soon - Nov. 6. That will make it even darker at the end of the day, and harder to gauge the speed of that combine up ahead.  Tuttle says for drivers and farmers alike, it should be safety first.

Guy Stephens produces news stories for the station, and coordinates our online events calendar, PSAs and Arts Calendar announcements. In each of these ways, Guy helps keep our listening community informed about what's going on, whether on a national or local level. Guy's degrees are in music, and he spent a number of years as a classical host on WNIU. In fact, after nearly 20 years with Northern Public Radio, the best description of his job may be "other duties as required."
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