West of Mpls MN about 50 miles on Hwy 12 | We have that very same belt buckle around here somewhere.
Most people that participated in the program idled 92% of their corn base acres and planted oats cover the PIK year. Between dad and I we had something like a 78% corn base average if I remember correctly. One rented farm had a 98% corn base...the landlord was on the ASCS board. Some 18 million acres were idled the PIK year I believe.
It was also very dry here that year so they allowed people to bale the oats cover for feed. We sold a couple hundred acres of standing oats cover to a neighbor. Made more money on the oats hay than anything that year.They opened the newly enacted CRP program acres for haying also here.
We did a whole bunch of branch work on our tile systems during the set aside years...one cement foot at a time.
There was literally nothing to trade back then, markets didn't move much all. A huge move was a nickel on corn. Merchandisers sure didn't like the set aside programs. They didn't have as much to handle.
The market didn't really respond until the big drought of 1988. |
Can anybody tell me about the PIK program in the 1980's?
