BLOOMINGTON - After a wet start, farmers now see the promise of a better-than-expected corn crop. Corn samples that agricultural groups took from Central Illinois fields suggest average harvest yields will be around 190 to 195 bushels an acre, among the highest historical area estimates. | Expect corn price swings, farmers told

"It's a pleasant surprise," said Marty Thornton, senior vice president for agricultural services at Heartland Bank & Trust Co.

While farmers dealt with a non-ideal planting season, the rest of the year went well, said Kim Craig, merchandiser for grain storage company Bell Enterprises, based in Deer Creek.

"From then forward, we kept hearing the farmer say, 'Wow, really this has been an ideal growing season,'" Craig said.

Bell Enterprises estimates average yields of 192.89 bushels of corn an acre based on samples from fields in Congerville, Carlock, Danvers, Deer Creek, Morton, Goodfield, Mackinaw and Minier.

Heartland Bank branches in Bloomington, Chenoa and El Paso took samples from farms in Livingston, Ford, DeWitt and Woodford counties and predict average corn yields of 194.9 bushels per acre.

Bloomington's Soy Capital Ag Services estimates average corn yields of 190.4 bushels per acre on McLean County farms.

"It's going to be good. It's not going to be fantastic," said Kevin Meiss, assistant vice president and farm manager.

Surveyors recorded more ears of corn per acre but also the problem of shorter ears where kernels didn't develop. They also noted the impact of rain, or lack thereof, which has presented problems for corn at different times this season.

So much rain in the spring that delayed planting meant limited time for plants to develop this year, said Matt Wyss, ag services representative in agricultural services for Heartland Bank.

While Bell Enterprises tried to take some samples in bad spots of a field that had flooded, Soy Capital's and Heartland's surveys did not take the same thing into consideration.

"That's another wild card in the equation this year," said Chad Hoke, assistant vice president and farm manager of Soy Capital Ag Services.

Late-planted corn will have lower yields, but the effect of flooding in McLean County should be minimal, Meiss said.

The same is true in territory Heartland Bank surveyed, Thornton said. Some individual farmers who could lose 2 percent to 5 percent of their yield potential will feel the problem more than the entire coverage area, which may only drop 1 percent or 2 percent, he said.

"(Fields) look a lot worse than they are," Thornton said.

Both Soy Capital Ag Services and Bell Enterprises determined fields have more ears of corn this year. But even though more ears are in McLean County fields, they are smaller this year, Meiss said.

Dry August weather was the culprit for that trend, said Hoke. Later weather determines how many kernels will turn yellow and fill out the ear, he said.

Plants that formed shallow roots because of the early wetness and couldn't pull moisture from down in the soil during August was another contributing factor, Thornton said.

Overpopulation of plants was likely the biggest factor for aborted kernels in the Deer Creek area, Craig said. Too many plants will compete for energy, which could lead to smaller ears, he said.

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Crop predictions

Central Illinois agricultural groups delved into cornfields in recent weeks to conduct their annual yield estimates, giving farmers a glimpse of what harvest might bring in 2008. Following are their results, as well as earlier predictions from the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

Soy Capital Ag Services in Bloomington:

Corn in McLean County: 190.4 bushels per acre

Heartland Bank & Trust Co. in Bloomington, Chenoa and El Paso:

Corn in McLean, Livingston, Ford, DeWitt and Woodford counties: 194.9 bushels per acre

Bell Enterprises Inc. in Deer Creek:

Corn in Congerville, Carlock, Danvers, Deer Creek, Morton, Goodfield, Mackinaw and Minier: 192.89 bushels per acre

U.S. Department of Agriculture:

Illinois corn: 172 bushels per acre

Corn nationwide: 155 bushels per acre

Illinois soybeans: 42 bushels per acre

Soybeans nationwide: 40.5 bushels per acre.

SOURCES: Soy Capital Ag Services, Heartland Bank & Trust Co., Bell Enterprises Inc., USDA