Harvest Not As Bad for Some Peoria County Farmers
By: Sophie Nielsen-Kolding WMBD/WYZZ TV
Updated: October 9, 2012
PEORIA- Many local farmers thought the drought would wipe out most of their crops, but that's not the case for some Peoria County farmers.
Ross Pauli is harvesting his crops and said it's not looking as bad as he thought it would, although there is still some loss.
"There was three acres I didn't even harvest it was just black no ears," Pauli said.
It was just a small portion of his crop. He said just a couple miles down the road fields might be looking dry and dead, but his fields are mostly looking good. He said the county had some timely rains later in the summer and he was lucky they were over his fields.
"There was one rain that came thought Peoria County at an angle. And we were in it and we got an inch an some friends of mine down in southern Peoria County said they got like two tenths," Pauli said.
He said everyone kept comparing this summer to the drought in 1988, but his yield is much better than that year.
"I had some five bushel acre corn and really bad corn. And 20 bushel beans where this year corn was averaging, probably averaging 170 and the beans is probably going to be close to high 50s," Pauli said,
Not too far off from what he'd consider a good year; around 200 bushel corn and upwards of 60 bushel beans per acre. Pauli said years of crop engineering are partially to thank. It's made the crops more drought resistant. But he says it was mostly whether or not you were lucky enough to be under a rain cloud.
"I feel very blessed this year we were real fortunate here in central Peoria County."
Pauli said he doesn't think he'll have to collect crop insurance.
Ross Pauli is harvesting his crops and said it's not looking as bad as he thought it would, although there is still some loss.
"There was three acres I didn't even harvest it was just black no ears," Pauli said.
It was just a small portion of his crop. He said just a couple miles down the road fields might be looking dry and dead, but his fields are mostly looking good. He said the county had some timely rains later in the summer and he was lucky they were over his fields.
"There was one rain that came thought Peoria County at an angle. And we were in it and we got an inch an some friends of mine down in southern Peoria County said they got like two tenths," Pauli said.
He said everyone kept comparing this summer to the drought in 1988, but his yield is much better than that year.
"I had some five bushel acre corn and really bad corn. And 20 bushel beans where this year corn was averaging, probably averaging 170 and the beans is probably going to be close to high 50s," Pauli said,
Not too far off from what he'd consider a good year; around 200 bushel corn and upwards of 60 bushel beans per acre. Pauli said years of crop engineering are partially to thank. It's made the crops more drought resistant. But he says it was mostly whether or not you were lucky enough to be under a rain cloud.
"I feel very blessed this year we were real fortunate here in central Peoria County."
Pauli said he doesn't think he'll have to collect crop insurance.
