Today, farmers planting corn and soybean are using less acreage and seeing higher yields
Based on the latest completed statistics from 2023, some 24,000 acres of corn and 20,000 acres of soybeans will be planted. In line with these statistics, more than 10% of Muskingum County's 424,960 acres will be used for growing these two crops this summer.
During the past more than 80 years, significant changes in crop production have taken place in the ever changing farming industry. In 1950, Muskingum County had approximately 26,000 acres in corn, just a little more than the 24,000 current acres.
But a big change has taken place in county wheat production, which declined from the14,000 acres reported in 1950 to 680 acres reported in 2023. In 1950, soybeans were pretty much an afterthought in agriculture production with fewer than 600 acres planted. In fact, soybeans did not even show up in the county agricultural report until 1940 when 100 acres were planted.
As soybean profits increased in the 1970s and 1980s to the present, so has the acreage planted, seemingly replacing wheat acreage on county farms. The decreased wheat acreage has had several side effects including a decrease in the supply of straw for livestock bedding, making the straw more valuable than in the past.
Total crop acreage in Muskingum County seems to have remained fairly consistent over the last 75 years, even though the crops planted have changed. An additional factor that has changed is the yield per acre.
The 26,000 acres of corn planted in 1950 produced only an average of 50 bushels per acre, or about 650,000 bushels total, while the 24,000 acres of corn planted in 2023 had an estimated average of 175 bushels an acre for a total of 4.2 million total bushels. The soybeans of 1950 produced only 20 bushels per acre. Soybeans in 2023 were reported to be averaging 50 bushels per acre.
Going back to the Civil War era, corn is reported to have averaged 33 bushels per acre and wheat only 10 bushels per acre. Some sources say that during the Civil War more than 80,000 acres, almost twice the current crop acreage, were in production growing additional crops such as rye, buckwheat, oats and barley. I have trouble even thinking about feeding the armies, let alone the family members at home on crop yields of 33 and 10 bushels per acre.
Agriculture is always changing. What you saw yesterday growing, planting and harvesting in the fields may not be what you see tomorrow. Exciting changes have taken place and more are just around the corner as our farmers continue to produce more on less land than ever before.
Chuck Bell is a former 4-H educator for Muskingum County.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Farmers see higher yields for corn and soybean planted on less acreage
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'The county fair experience is really good for the younger generation,' Davis said, along with Future Farmers of America. 4-H, and living on a farm, helped Annie Martin's kids understand where meat really comes from – not just a grocery store but all the steps along the way, from farm to slaughterhouse, before reaching the grocery. Being in 4-H, 'it's responsibility all the way around. It's time with your family. It's time management,' she said. Martin also married into the farming business when she said, 'I do,' alongside husband Blake Martin. Their kids understand the rigors of farming. 'They have to be accountable at a really young age,' she said. Her son is planning to become a farmer. 'He's been able to drive a loader since he was 6,' Martin said. 'He has a work ethic that's pretty incredible.' He's heading to the state fair after winning the tractor driving competition at the county fair, the proud mom said. 'Farmers never really retire. He slowly learns to operate something new every year,' she said. Her daughter Brooklyn Martin, 11, a Morgan Sodbuster, said she wants to be a zoologist, not a farmer. 'I just like animals a lot, so I thought that would be fun.' Soon after Ron Birky graduated from high school, a distant cousin retired and leased his 165 acres to Birky. 'At one time, we had some hogs,' he said, but corn and soybeans were Birky's two staples. Birky was in 4-H for all 10 years. He's seen his kids go through 4-H, and now his grandchildren are going through it. The oldest grandchild, now entering fifth grade, thinks he wants to be a farmer. 'We still own 600 acres,' Birky said, but the machinery was all sold at auction two years ago. If that grandchild goes through with his current career choice, it won't be easy. 'Boy, it's tough,' Birky said, for a young person to become a farmer. 'There's 600 acres that we own, and that's half the battle.' But it's a fierce battle. 'If you're not raised in a farming family, it's virtually impossible' to go into farming, Birky said. 'The capital investment is unbelievable,' he said, with combines and other machinery exceeding $1 million to buy new. Then there's the risk involved. This year hasn't had much rain. 'I don't need to go to Vegas,' Birky said, because farming is its own gamble. Birky retired at 67, his dad at 80 or so. 'He basically didn't retire, I just took over everything,' Birky said. Young 4-H'ers are considering their options. Norah Grimmer, 13, of Valparaiso, tended Maverick, her grand champion steer, at the fair on Thursday. She's planning to study animal science at the University of Notre Dame to become a veterinarian. Elizabeth White, 16, a member of the Center Wildcats, plans to attend Valparaiso University. 'I'm trying to decide between mechanical and electrical engineering,' she said. After that comes law school. 'We have a small hobby farm,' White said, raising poultry and rabbits along with a few sheep not exhibited at the fair. '4-H has really, really raised my confidence,' she said. 'I know a lot of veterinarians, and they have to deal with a lot of attitudes.' Alexis Leek, 18, of Morgan Township, is a member of the Hustling Hoosiers club. 'I was thinking about working with horses,' she said, in the criminal justice field. That involves riding horses in parades and other events, not putting the handcuffs on felonious equines. 4-H 'definitely helped me with people skills and talking with people I don't know,' she said. Heather Cox, of Morgan Township, aged out of 4-H but was master showman last year, she said while visiting the horses – and people – in the horse barn. She's at Purdue University, where she's thinking of studying animal behavior. Like Leek, Cox said 4-H has polished her people skills. Now she's passing the torch to others. Shiloh Otey, 15, a member of the Hustling Hoosiers, is exhibiting horses, rabbits and poultry, and helping her sister with goats. 'I want to be a veterinarian,' she said. 'I like working with bigger animals.' Leek and Cox said although their career paths don't include farming, they wouldn't rule out raising animals on a small farm when they're older.
