As outdoor temperatures increase, stored grain requires attention to prevent losses, says Ken Hellevang, North Dakota State University Extension agricultural engineer and grain drying expert. The stored grain temperature increases in the spring not only due to an increase in outdoor temperatures but also due to solar heat gain on the bin. Solar energy produces […]

Last week the USDA released its first estimate of net farm income for 2019. While this is an early look, there few things that caught our attention. This week’s post reveals a few key insights, especially about 2018. Net Farm Income Figure 1 shows real – or inflation-adjusted- net farm income from 1929 to 2019 (2019 […]

Average Illinois soybean yield first exceeded 50 bushels per acre in 2004, when it was 50.5 bushels. It was 51.5 bushels in 2010, and 50 bushels in 2013. Over the five years beginning in 2014, it was 56, 56, 59, 58, and, in 2018, an astonishing 65 bushels per acre. Yield in each of the […]