Favorable harvest weather is pushing more combines out into the field as USDA says 11% of the nation’s corn crop and 9% of soybeans have been harvested. In Illinois, farmers are ahead of the five-year average.
“So far so good,” says Brian Parkinson, a farmer in Wataga, Ill. “We’re just really getting started.”
He and his brother, Rod, along with Rod’s son, Austin, opened their first corn field on Monday. While they’re still calibrating and getting equipment sorted, early yields are keeping pace with 2024 and in the 250 bushels per acre range.
“It’s looking good so far,” Rod echoes. “Right now the corn is about 21.5% moisture, and so it’s changed a lot in a week.”
The hum of the header rumbles down the rows as the Parkinson combine chews through these first fields. The soybeans they harvested last week tallied in the 80 bushel range.
“We cut beans last week because the corn was too wet,” Rod explains. “Luckily, we had some early group 2.7 and 3.1 soybeans that were ready.”
They stayed out of the corn for a few extra days to save money on drying costs. This week, as the yield monitor tallies the haul, it’s proving to have been a good decision.
“The general consensus is the crop is very good,” Rod says. “Yields may be a little bit less than a year ago but they are very solid.”
An Imperfect Season
That’s good news after what’s been a season of uncertainty following concerns about disease pressure and spotty rains in August.
“The disease pressure was definitely more than normal,” Rod says. “There’s still a fair amount of disease. You can see a lot of tar spot. There’s gray leaf spot on these plants. I would say this is probably the worst disease pressure we’ve seen in quite a while.”
In their pocket of the Midwest, the disease showed up late, and fungicides seemed to help in most cases.
“From the guys who have been in the field, fungicide is probably providing a 10-to-20-bu. advantage on a one-pass, over-the-top program,” Rod says. “If fungicide didn’t pay this year, it’s never going to pay.”
An expense that didn’t go unnoticed, given the challenges of the 2025 farm economy. Rod’s advice is to trust the numbers.
“Most people have been farming a long time,” Rod says. “Do what you know works and do the things that have a return on investment.”
Focus on the Future
For them, getting it right is a chance to spend another season in the family business.
“Our great-grandfather bought this farm in 1920,” Rod says. “His name was Frank Parkinson.”
“It’s a family tradition, I guess,” Brian laughs. “I think Rod and I are now the fifth generation.”
As this team works to harvest the excitement of the 2025 crop, they’re also optimistic about the future.
“I think I have the best job in the world, to be able to farm and sell seed,” Rod says. “We just hope the market comes back some. We’ll keep moving. We’ve seen it before.”
