Page 5 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 and the uncertainty factor is probably as high as it has been since a major war or the Great Depression. One of the casualties of federal funding reductions has been the County Yield Estimates published by the National Ag Statistics Service. Illinois will have at least one more year of the 2024 yields published at some time, along with a handful of other states. This is only due to specific funding of this survey from non-federal sources. Much of the county level data has been made available from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. A few highlights show Logan County farm numbers at 623, average farm size is up to 610 acres, and the average net farm income in 2022 was $277,807. Keep in mind that 2022 was one of the highest income years ever. One federal focus area of the Department of Agriculture is to address “the bird flu,” and more specifically the price of eggs. As with all commodities, the price of eggs rises and falls based on demand and availability. The destruction of large flocks at commercial laying operations has led to an ongoing shortage of eggs, and the resulting rapid rise in their cost. Possible improvements in the situation have been examined including additional biosecurity for operations, utilization of excess broiler industry eggs, and development and vaccination of flocks as potentials responses. There will be events which will bring stability to the egg market eventually; however, don’t look for egg prices of one dollar again for at least the immediate future. As always, we look forward to a good start to the 2025 growing season. Please be alert and patient on the roadways with increased farm traffic becoming common in the next few months. And, for the farmers, please be safe by concentrating and taking breaks when needed. Have a great season! [John Fulton]
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