2020 Crop Tour to begin June 23
The 2020 Crop Tour begins on June 23 in Champaign Illinois. We will travel some 1,800 miles West and North through parts of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Western Indiana in 4 days. There are 25 predetermined stops along the way with 9 in Illinois, 11 in Iowa, 3 in Minnesota and 2 in Western Indiana. Many of these fields are annual stops so we can compare the corn crop versus our last stop in 2018.
This year’s tour stats are as follows. We will be in 25 counties with 9 of those stops being in a County with a Top 5 three year average corn yield for their respective State. Five of these stops will be in counties that are in the lowest 25% of their respective State for three year average corn yield. The number one county is Crawford County Iowa (Western Iowa) with a three year average corn yield of 223.53 bushels per acre. The lowest average corn yield on the tour is Jackson County Minnesota (Southwestern MN) at 176.47 bushels per acre.
As I write today 1 week before the start, Champaign Illinois has the largest amount of rain year to date (24.08″) and largest amount since April 10 (11.78″). Plymouth Iowa has the least year to date at only 9.48 inches and Cass Iowa has the least since April 10 at 3.97 inches. Clearly Western Iowa has been extremely dry. We will be interested to see if it has had an effect on the crop yet.
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Month: June 2020
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”
The necessity of quarantine over the last few months has presented unique challenges for businesses and organizations across the board. As COVID-19 made its way across the Midwest, our office took the precautions that many others adopted in an effort to keep our staff and clients confident of our investment in their well-being. As we reopen and get back to business as normal, we are glad for the success of our measures and grateful for the patience and understanding granted.
My work in farm management is dependent on trust – the client’s trust in my ability and commitment for their investment and heritage and/or legacy, as well as the trust and assurance in the relationship with our farm operators. I believe in handshakes and looking someone in the eye when we talk because it’s important to know who you are working with. Other companies may function solely through online transactions, but we find that interaction is vital for mutual understanding and shared success.
In navigating frustrations, I was surprised by the discovered opportunities. Our IT team armed us with new tools to overcome the limitations of social distancing. During a typical phone call with a client and his sons, we opted to try our video conferencing abilities. We are spread out geographically across the US, and can rarely meet as four. Once we were logged in, we were live and in-person in each of our “new offices”. We were able to communicate much like a normal face to face experience; and the ability to use the shared screen feature made it possible to discuss a farm report with all of the relevant information right there on my computer. We were limited by distance before coronavirus, but as an unexpected result of the circumstances, we found a better way to connect.
Einstein said, “in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” In the coming months as the world reopens, meetings will once again take place in person, as well as face-to-face via video. Soon, I’ll be on the road performing my annual crop tour, as well as able to remote-connect with my office. AG Farm Management prides itself