I was reading in the local IL Farm Bureau paper today that the University of Illinois predicts the average Illinois corn and soybean farmer will lose $8 per acre on corn this year (2009) and lose $15 per acre on soybeans. 

This is the first time in 19 years that returns are negative on BOTH corn and beans according to this article.

These are net operator returns based on data from 5500 Illinois farmers enrolled in the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management program. The article says these negative returns are largely based on high input costs.

The paper also says we are in the middle of an El Nino period with later than normal harvest and wet grain...surprise, eh? So much for our "bumper crop".

FWIW.

Jim at Dawn