Page 3 - Logan County Farm Outlook - Spring 2013

2013 LOGAN COUNTY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE. LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com March 21, 2013
3
2012 in review by John Fulton
It’s no surprise.
The highlight reel
from 2012 would
include dry weather,
heat, and more dry
weather and heat.
Of course the winter months weren’t
bad -- comparatively dry with decent
temperatures (translated, this means
dry with heat). Corn yields for the 2012
season suffered proportionately, with
the Logan County yield placed at 96.5
bushels per acre, according to the
county yield estimates published by the
National Agricultural Statistics Service.
To compare with other drought years in
modern production times, we ended up
similar to the 1983 yield of 96. The 1988
year saw the average production plummet
to 71, and the drought of 1980 placed corn
yields at 75.
The 2012 crop brings our new 10-year
average down to 169.1 bushels per acre. Of
course, times have changed. Hybrids have
improved, productionpractices haveevolved
further, and the value of the crop and cost of
the inputs have greatly increased.
Soybean yields from 2012 achieved a
respectable average of 47.3 bushels per
acre. We were saved by a late-season
hurricane named Isaac that brought much-
needed rainfall to our region. Otherwise,
soybean yields would have been closer to
30 for an average.
The new 10-year average soybean yield
is 51.3 bushels per acre for Logan County.
Other stressful production years saw an
average of 41 bushels in 2003, 40 in 1987,
38.5 in 1984 and 36 in 1983. The resilience
of soybeans is definitely seen in the yields.
The weather of 2012 was definitely
irregular. We were considered to be in an
extreme drought area for most of the year,
but it rained regularly somewhere in the
area. Most areas didn’t receive the rainfall
in large enough quantities, or at the critical
times.
Of greater influence on yields was the
heat. Lincoln recorded six days over 100
degrees, while Springfield had 11. The timing
of the intense heat was during pollination or
early development of kernels, which led to
abortion of kernels as the summer went on.
The plants simply couldn’t take up enough
moisture to keep both the plant and the
table of contents
• FULTON: 2012 in review 3
• Who got hurt by the 2012 drought? 6
• To insure or not to insure? 12
• Getting in or getting out? 14
• The condition of our soils 18
• Considering irrigation? 22
• Improve your soil with cover crops 28
• What about drought tolerant corn? 34
• And here’s a look at the weather 38
Continued --->