10-8

Todd Easton Coles County October 8, 2010: I looked back at the Crop Watcher report I wrote exactly a year ago and it began by commenting on how harvest was having a far from ideal start. It seems almost amusing now as we are concluding an all but perfect harvest season just a year later. While corn harvest was convenient for the year it was not as bountiful as we would have liked as the crop was dealt an unfair one two punch with very wet and somewhat cool conditions right after emergence and then a super hot and dry August. The soybean crop on the other hand went in a bit late and looked to be in trouble with the difficult August also but late rains in the area must have been just in time to finish what may be the best bean crop many have seen in the area. One or two drills came out this week and sowed what little seed could be found to start the next wheat crop out in almost perfect conditions.