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Breaking Down The Toll of 2019's Historically Wet Weather on Farmers

Tim Shelley / WCBU

A University of Illinois farm economist painted the picture of just how bad 2019's wet weather was for the agricultural community.

Scott Irwin spoke at Wednesday's Farm Economics Summit in East Peoria. He says a "near monsoon" in May led to the latest crop planting dates in more than 6 decades.

"Think of all the different changes in equipment, seeds, and the whole technology of planting. And in the previous 60 years, we've always, under the worst of circumstances, managed to get to halfway sometime in May," he said. 

Illinois farmers only had 45 percent of their corn crop planted by June 5, the final day of the normal planting season, this year.

Irwin says the weather gave farmers the tough choice of planting late or applying for prevented planning insurance. Many farmers chose the former, as corn futures soared in June.

Copyright 2021 WCBU. To see more, visit WCBU.

Tim Shelley is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.