Most of the Midwest has been wet, but Greentown, Indiana farmer Brad Downing describes the water as “unrelenting.” Soils have become anaerobic and the crops are starting to show it. This area located between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne has an Actual Production History of 190-to-210 bushels per acre and yielded closer to 250 bushels per acre in the last two years. Those bushels won’t be there this year. “Realistically speaking, we’re thinking a 160-to-180 (bushels per acre) would be an absolute homerun, but it is probably closer to a potential of 140-to-150. The other thing is it takes 1,450 GDUs to get to pollination and another 1,000 to get to black layer and we’re sitting now with V3 or V4 corn.” In addition to farming, Downing operates Cross Creek Ag Solutions, selling seed, biologicals and fertilizer. “Our other businesses is where we have some concern because this isn’t a just a ’19 problem, it is a 2020 problem and maybe a 2021 problem.” Unsold inventory and a probable decline in working capital is a reality for many input suppliers in the states of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
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