Page 5 2024 Logan County Spring Farm Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2024 number was 683, for almost a nine percent decrease over the five-year period. The average farm size is now 610 acres, up from 518 and over a 17 percent increase. The largest farm number increases were in the 10 – 49 acres category and in the 1000 to 1099 acres category. The trends continue to show larger farms for commercial farms, and an increasing number of small specialty growers with specialty crops, livestock, or rural dwellings with a smaller acreage associated with their home. Agriculture remains a vibrant, important industry in Logan County. The 2022 Ag Census reports the market value of ag products sold for Logan County at $435,962,000, or almost $700,000 per farm. Remember agriculture is a low margin business on average, so expenses take up a large portion of that revenue. In fact, income projections from Gary Schnitkey and Nick Paulson at the University of Illinois are projected for losses in both 2023 and 2024. The 2024 growing season is ahead of us, and there remains optimism for raising a good crop and producing a good income for the family. That is the way it has always been for those in agriculture, and the coming year is no exception. March 19 has been designated Ag Day to celebrate those who produce the abundance of food we in our country have become accustomed to. Remember to celebrate those who help produce and deliver the bounty to our table. [John Fulton Agriculture Consultant Lincoln Daily News]
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