McLean County Farm Bureau

FarmDoc Daily

• The 2024-25 Financial Downturn: Who is the Most Vulnerable
  Midwest crop producers have experienced a significant downturn in corn, soybean, and wheat prices since the beginning of the year and farm incomes are expected to be much lower in 2024 than they have been the last three to four years. Moreover, current expectations are that prices will continue to remain at or below the […]
• Revisiting Big Corn and Soybean Crops Get Bigger
  The September 2024 USDA yield forecasts of 183.6 bushels for corn and 53.2 bushels for soybeans are both well above trend and new national records. Some argue that these forecasts will become even larger, but there is no evidence to support the notion that “big crops get bigger and small crops get smaller.” There is, […]
• Loss of US Farmland in the 21st Century, Part II: Regional Perspective for Major Land Use Categories from the Census of Agriculture
  For all nine US regions, land in farms has declined in the 21st Century. Much has been written and said about the Midwest’s loss of cropland. However, cropland’s share of Midwest farmland and thus its relative importance in the Midwest increased. Specialization occurred in the use of farmland while pastureland declined the most in all […]