> Bob, what figures do you have that indicate it is a
> common practice for upper Midwestern farmers to
> plant corn in the same field for more than two
> consecutive years in a row?
 I went into both the Usda office in Lafayette & Jackson counties and asked
and spoke with farmers which were in showing the USDA the location of the
fields they planted in corn & beans.

The USDA takes ariel photos of each farm. All real farmers have a farm
number. My farm has a USDA county farm number. Farmers wait in line and then
give their farm number. Then the USDA rep pulls the ariel photos. You know
the government. They can tell you what crops have been planted in which
fields for years and years.
Then farmer points to the fields and tell the clerk what he planted. At the
last trip I was on a first name basis with the farmers involved and the
clerk. I had hives on the land of three of the farmers. The process is not
exact as the USDA does not go and measure to less than an acre . Takes the
farmers word.
Example would be 240 acres in corn for the 5th year in a row. The photos are
marked in sections. In the square for each section the clerk writes 40 acres
corn , beans , other crop name or CRP.
On my farm  land they write pasture & orchard.

>
> The evidence I have seen from Iowa State University
> indicates corn acreage in 2008 is down and soybean acreage
> is up due to rotation to beans

beans are a bigger money crop than corn on certain ground but is a dry
weather crop and in my opinion harder to get planted in a wet year. many
fields without a crop were intended for beans. I would say because of the
wet weather the ratio this year is about 80% corn this year in my area. I we
shocked when farmers tell me crop rotation is a thing of the past with the
new chemicals. The farmers said the only reason for crop rotation in the
past was to prevent disease. With the new seed and chemicals now not a
problem.

Farmers love the new products. making money (big money) and spending a
greater amount of time at the Lake of the Ozarks at their weekend get away.

:
> "Corn following corn is in rough shape in areas across Iowa".

Not in Missouri & Nebraska!  If was true the farmers would not be doing!
Studies are really not very accurate as farmers simply say what the want to
say most of the time. The truth is that as a general rule the Iowa study
*might* be true but when you consider by using bottom land for corn you
might get a 100 bushels a year better yield than rotating corn /beans in a
field with low yield of both. A ready market exists for corn and the beans
market is a roller coaster ride. maybe up or maybe down.

I have got help standing watching me on the computer. Have to go Paul or
would address your other questions. Busy time for me.

bob

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