Central Illinois farmers are more than halfway finished with this year's corn harvest. (Photo by Carrie Muehling/WJBC)

By Carrie Muehling

GRIDLEY - Central Illinois farmers are more than halfway finished with the corn harvest.

Yields are mostly low but range from 10 bushels per acre to 170 bushels per acre for whole field averages, according to Bill Roth, plant manager with Brandt Consolidated in Gridley.  Roth has heard no reports of aflatoxin in the area at this point. 

"So far we haven't had any reports of any aflatoxin or anything like that," said Roth.  "That can be a huge issue when we have those problems, but so far we've been able to stay away from that, so that's been a good deal."

As Roth and other Brandt employees help farmers by spreading dry fertilizer and lime and getting toolbars ready to go for ammonia season, they're hearing a positive outlook from most when it comes to the next growing season.

Roth said more farmers have decided to prepay for ammonia as it now looks like they will be able to apply it as they would like to this fall.  Some had held back because conditions were so dry earlier in the summer.  In addition, the recent rains helped the bean crop significantly.

"I would be shocked if we don't have some 50 bushel beans in some places.  I'm not going to say everywhere is going to be that way, but I think we'll have quite a few that will be in the 40s.  We might have some less than that, but I'm fairly optimistic that we'll have some pretty decent beans and that guys will be pretty happy when they start cutting beans," said Roth.

A few area farmers are already combining soybeans, but most will be ready a few weeks from now.

Carrie Muehling can be reached at carrie@wjbc.com.