White County crops are in great shape. That’s what we learned from yesterday’s White County Crop Tour. The potential yield for the corn crop could make it a record year, according to Bryce Williams, the Bureau president. The average estimated corn yield for White County is 175.9 bushels per acre. That compares with an actual yield of 174.2 last year. This year’s estimate marks the highest estimated yield in the history of the White County Crop Tour. The highest actual yield in the last decade was 2014 when farmers pulled in 195.3 bushels per acre. The lowest recent yield was just 2 years before that. In 2012, farmers only got 67.6 bushels per acre due to a historic flood.
Consistent rains throughout the growing season have pushed the potential yield for the White County corn crop to a record level, according to Bryce Williams, President of the White County Farm Bureau. The organization held it’s 24th annual White County Crop Tour on August 31. The event was co-sponsored by the White County Farm Bureau, Consolidated Grain & Barge, Wabash Valley Service Company, and Peoples National Bank.
“Overall, it looked very good, populations were good; it’ll be a good year,” commented Kyle Rynkiewich who toured Heralds Prairie Township south of Carmi. Kyle Hoskins, who also toured Heralds Prairie Township, added, “Ears were filled out very well. It didn’t have any disease in the kernels, and it looked like the stalks were standing well.”
With grain prices in the profitable range and strong yield potential for this year’s corn crop, many farmers added fungicides into their crop protection strategy for this summer; a strategy that will likely pay dividends, according to Doug Anderson, Manager of the White County Farm Bureau. Anderson toured Carmi Township and noted that overall plant health was better this year than anytime in recent memory.
Lane Harvey reported, “We saw some pretty good fields. If we can keep off the rain coming into harvest, [farmers] should be pretty pleased.” Harvey toured Indian Creek Township around Norris City, Illinois.
The average estimated 2021 corn yield for White County is 175.9 bushels per acre compared to an actual USDA corn yield (planted acres) of 174.2 bushels in 2020. This year’s estimate marks the highest estimated yield in the history of the White County Crop Tour. The highest USDA corn yield during the last 10 years for White County was in 2014 when the yield hit 195.3 bushels per acre. The lowest USDA corn yield in the last 10 years occurred in 2012 with a yield of only 67.6 bushels.
Carmi Township in the central area of the county saw the highest yield estimate at 187.8 bushels per acre. The lowest yielding township was Indian Creek Township which came in at 161.7 bushels per acre.
2021 yield estimates for each township results were (bu/ac):
· Burnt Prairie Township 175.8
· Carmi Township 187.8
· Emma Township 172.5
· Enfield Township 182.3
· Gray Township 182.4
· Hawthorne Township 177.9
· Heralds Prairie Township 180.1
· Indian Creek Township 161.7
· Mill Shoals Township 178.8
· Phillips Township 162.8
39 individuals participated in the 2021 tour, spanning out in teams across the county to take yield measurements. Teams measured the number of stalks in 60 feet, the number of ears in 60 feet, average length of an ear, and the average number of rows in an ear. Data was taken from 8-10 fields in each township, randomly chosen around 2-3 miles apart from one another.
Average ear length for 2021 was 7.3 inches, compared to 7.4 inches in 2020; average kernel rows were 15.7, down from 16.1 in 2020; average ear population was 29,606 plants per acre, significantly higher from 28,067 plants per acre average in 2020; and the average ear-to-stalk ratio was 97%, slightly lower from 98% in 2020.
For the complete report of the 2021 White County Crop Tour, go the White County Farm Bureau website at www.whitecfb.com/croptour
