FUNDED BY THE ILLINOIS SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION CHECKOFF PROGRAM.

November 2021

The Importance of Grain Estimates in the Marketplace – Why Are We Showing Our Hand?

At the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) we take pride in providing reports of agricultural commodities to the public in an unbiased manner, at a pre-determined time. With so much riding on agricultural commodities that provide food, feed, and fuel for the United States and other countries, many of our reports are highly anticipated in the marketplace. With respect to this price discovery impact, NASS works hard to ensure that estimates are as accurate as possible and to protect the confidentiality of information until the exact second the data are released to the public. Once a NASS report is [...]

By |November 23, 2021|

Program Application Deadlines

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced deadlines for several program applications in early 2022. Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) - Agricultural and Forestland EQIP is one opportunity for assistance through NRCS for agricultural and forestland producers to address natural resource concerns. With EQIP, producers have succewssfully addressed natural resource issues on their farms. Some EQIP activities include installing structures to address gully erosion, improving pastureland diversity by interseeding, and improving soil health by increasing orgranic matter with cover crops. In addition to conservation practices, EQIP funds the development of conservation plans. New plan options are available this [...]

By |November 18, 2021|

Better Late Than Never

For most of us, planning the 2021 crop year started in earnest over a year ago. We planned the work, then we worked the plan. Unless you farm in the very northern region of Photo taken early December 2020. the state, most plans included completing harvest by the end of October. Yet here we are with a portion of our corn and soybeans still standing waiting for drier crops and fields. Some of us had included planting cover crops either for the first time, or as a continuing practice. I fall in the latter category. As we have become [...]

By |November 15, 2021|

Viewing Your Yield Data Through Different Lenses

As harvest begins to wrap up and our minds shift towards next year, for many of us that brings opportunity, optimism, and perhaps a bit of concern. With rising input costs, we as growers are going to be forced to make some tough decisions between economics and agronomics. As an agronomic consultant and grower myself, when those decisions come up for our operation, I look to my yield data to help guide me. Sometimes it takes looking at our yield data through different lenses though to help make those decisions. (For reference, I am using AgLeader SMS Advanced as [...]

By |November 11, 2021|

Post Harvest Evaluations and Assessments

This article was originally published in the September issue of Illinois Field & Bean. View the article here. Harvest has always been a crowd favorite. Whether it’s the humid heat of summer being replaced by crisp, autumn air, or the end of year holidays peeking out on the horizon, harvest tends to bring with it a sense of happy endings. But as any farmer knows, the work doesn’t stop even after the crop is out of the field. In fact, as farmers wrap up in the field and park the combine in the machine shed, there are several things [...]

By |November 9, 2021|

NASS Series: The Basics of NASS Reports

Hello everyone. My name is Mark Schleusener and I am the Illinois State Statistician for USDA- NASS. I hope that each of you have had a safe and bountiful harvest so far. If you are still running the combine, please be careful and put safety first. The IL Soybean Association asked me to write a series of blog posts and I’m glad to do it. I really appreciate the opportunity to connect with Illinois’ soybean farmers. I hope I can answer some of your questions and provide insight into how NASS operates and why we conduct our surveys of [...]

By |November 1, 2021|
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