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Good, bad and ugly of 2018 for Illinois farmers

Last year had its share of good, bad and ugly for Illinois farmers. As far as the good, western Illinois farmer David Serven says despite some challenging weather, his crop yields proved to be about as good as they get. “What’s amazing is it was so dry in our area through the middle and late part of the summer that we just thought we were not going to have a good crop,” Serven said. “Then we started getting rain in the late summer, and for us, it was the best crop we ever raised. As we were harvesting the crop, we just couldn’t believe the yields we were seeing.” With President Trump slapping tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, China and Mexico, the three biggest U-S customers struck back with tariffs on American soybeans and other agricultural exports. North-central Illinois farmer Brad Temple says the impact was big – and bad. “Trade is what makes Illinois farmers tick as most of our crops get exported out down the Mississippi River and to other ports,” Temple said. “So anytime there’s a hiccup in the trade talks, it has a direct reflection.” As far as the ugly, like many Illinois farmers Temple and Serven have mostly set that aside. Both look forward to another fresh start in 2019.

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