Will County Corn Harvest 2010

Will County farmers enjoyed warm and dry weather--along with soaring commodity prices-- while completing their 2010 harvest.  In fact, it was so warm that corn kernels that fell out of wagons and combines germinated and grew, as seen in the pictures below:

Corn harvest, 2010, warm weather induced dropped corn kernels to germniate

An odd sight: volunteer corn in a newly-harvested field.  Will County, October 2010

Grand Champion Steer at the Will County Fair

The Will County Fair Beef Show is held every Saturday of the Will County Fair in Peotone, Illinois. Cattle breeders and livestock farmers from around the area bring their stock to compete for a chance to win a Grand Champion ribbon.

Here is the Grand Champion Steer Drive from the 2010 Will County Fair:

Vintage Farmall H Raking Hay

Here is some video of a vintage Farmall H raking hay in Will County, Illinois.

2010 was a challenging year for hay farmers in Will County. It rained through much of the month of June, thwarting efforts to get the hay crop in. The hay in this video is rather dusty from having been rained on a few times.

The Farmall H tractor in this picture has been in our family for decades. My grandpa bought it from the local hardware store in Manhattan, Illinois. Hard to think to a time when you could buy tractors from the downtown of your local, small town.

Here is the video of the H in action:

Queen Anne Farmhouses

Have you ever noticed these twin Queen Anne Farmhouses in Will County?  They are located between Peotone and Wilton Center, Illinois.

Queen Anne Farmhouses

I always enjoy driving by these two beautiful, working farmsteads.   

Here is some interesting information about the Queen Anne Style of homes.

Peotone FFA to hold consignment auction January 22, 2011

The Peotone FFA club will hold a farm machinery auction Saturday January 22, 2011 beginning at 10 am at the Peotone Fair Grounds.

Combine to be sold: Case-IH 2366, Case-IH 1063 Cornhead, Case-IH 1020 grain head

Tractors to be sold include: Case-IH MX275 Magnum, Case-IH 8940, Case-IH 7250

Other farm equipment to be sold: Case-IH 955 Planter, 12-23 rows, 3 boxes; Flicklin CA 14000 Grain cart,  Sunflower 6332 soil finisher, and much more.

For a complete auction listing with photos of the farm equipment, visit Larry Lorenz's Site.

Winter Thaw Floods out Winter Wheat in Will County

A mid-winter thaw and heavy rain resulted in flooding in Will County.  Some fields of winter wheat flooded then froze over when temperatures dropped again.

January 1, 2011, a winter thaw and heavy rain resulted in Prairie Creek in Manhattan, Illinois overflowing 

 Winter Wheat covered with frozen water

Winter Wheat 

Field of winter wheat in Will County, Illinois.  A thaw resulted in flooding, which then re-froze.

Welcome to Will County Farming!

Welcome to Will County Farming!

This website will feature photos, videos, and stories about farming in Will County, Illinois.

To start things off, check out this video of a Will County farmer kickin' it old school with a New Idea Corn Picker!