In this 2-9-18 episode of McLean County Ag History Don Meyer discusses the origins of local farm management companies. Lee Realty Group based out of Bloomington, IL traces its roots back to 1928 when Frank Fuller established what continues to be a successful farm real estate business today.  Jeff Lee, President of Lee Realty Group joined Don on-air to visit about these four generations of successful operations in Central IL.

Listen to this 2-9-19 WJBC Ag History episode discussing the when farm managment started in Central IL and how Lee Realty Group is a part of it.

http://ow.ly/UARY30ijZlN

No bid: U of I changes it's cash renting farmland policy.

http://ow.ly/XSMH30fAyoE

"Fiber-optic trunk lines already make up much of the U.S. internet backbone. The trouble is reaching individual rural customers. It costs roughly $30,000 a mile to install optical fiber cable, according to industry estimates, to trench and secure right-of-way access."

Article from U of I Farm Policy and excerpts from Wall Street Journal:

http://ow.ly/3C9930cI8Ki

Chronology of a sideways corn market article by Darrel Good, AgriNews:

http://ow.ly/2OiD30cEn3z

At this time last year our Central IL crops were in a little better shape.  NOAA vegatative health map for U.S.:

https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/smcd/emb/vci/VH/vh_browse.php

Could be a litle bit of a challenge to hit corn trend yields. Ag Web article:

https://www.agweb.com/blog/the-ted-spread/can-corn-hit-trend-line-yield/

The House Ag Committee of the 115th Congress has conducted full Committee and Subcommittee Farm Bill hearings over the past few months on a variety of issues.  Last week, the House Ag Committee continued its policy work by holding two hearings one which covered SNAP (food stamps).

http://ow.ly/D8mI30cwsg4

Legally, this case is in unknown territory and uncharted waters.

http://ow.ly/Gmsr30cebmM

Calculating the amount of farm deferred tax liability for federal and state income tax purposes. From farmdoc daily.  Go to:

http://ow.ly/XoJw30bWbnD

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal included a special section on agricultural issues.  This article provides comments on it from the U of I Farm Policy.

http://ow.ly/CzSW30bLV9C

If you have a financial portfolio valued at over $1.5 million dollars, wouldn't you want to have a professional manager? If you agree and own 160 acres (worth more than that in Central IL) of farmland then you need a professional farmland property manager.  We can help you earn more from your farm while improving your asset.

Please contact Lee Realty Group by calling our office at (309) 662-5751 and stop by for a complimentary office visit with our associates to discuss your family farmland investment!

www.LeeRealty.com

$4.80 Corn Could Be Possible by Summer if Acres Are Less Than 91M

http://ow.ly/5OnE309WLdR

Will Agriculture Win, Lose or Draw?  The Trump administration’s fast pace isn’t slowing...

http://ow.ly/qbus309RMW7

The Ongoing Debate over Farmland Taxation

http://ow.ly/amTr309Rarj

The McLean County Museum of History will open the new Ag Exhibit Challenges, Choices & Change: Farming in the Great Corn Belt on March 25, 2017.  Lee Realty Group associate Don Meyer was Guest Curator in the production and creation of this new Central IL attraction.

http://ow.ly/9vGM309O8nX

This executive order is very significant for those of us in the business of farming and farm real estate.  This issue is a good example of past of over reach by the past administration.

http://ow.ly/vxa9309BgoM

Net incomes for Illinois grain farms are projected lower in 2017 than for 2016 using trend yields and commodity prices of $3.80 per bushel for corn and $9.90 per bushel for soybeans. Net incomes on grain farms likely will remain at low levels as long as corn prices remain below $4.00 per bushel. By Gary Schnitkey

http://ow.ly/X0Rh30961Ur

SALE PENDING - Sleezer 80 Acres Livingston County near Streator, IL. All Tillable, 137.2 PI $10,900/acre.

Machinery Pete video interview with Justin Blanchette, one of a staff of 8 with AHW, a 13-store John Deere dealership in eastern Illinois and western Indiana. AHW created their "Solutions Center" in 2013 for better on-going access to help their farmer customers with any questions regarding farm equipment technology implementation.  This is an organization who will help farmers with technology, clean the slate and move data to the cloud.

https://youtu.be/BbhFeDjBST0

80 Acres Livingston County near Streator, IL. All Tillable, 137.2 PI $10,900/acre.

Sleezer Brochure click here > http://ow.ly/jXpR308etmL <

Ethanol's 43% Advantage Over Gasoline

http://ow.ly/yATx3086kcS

Nicely done video by John Phipps, Farm Journal, about recent large land sales:

http://ow.ly/hDex3085tHq

It's that time of Year!

The 23 Most-Overlooked Tax Deductions from Kiplinger's Personal Finance:

http://ow.ly/LcYW307BPCH

Go to "view as one page".

DTN's Top 10 Ag News Stories of 2016:

http://ow.ly/AcMp307zUhS

McLean County Farm Bureau has set January, February, and March 2017 Ag After Hours.  Lee Realty Associate and Farmland Auctioneer Don Meyer will be speaking on Central IL farmland lease trends and negotiating key points to consider at the January get-together at CJ's on the east side of Bloomington:

http://www.mcfb.org/2016/12/2017-ag-after-hours-set/ 

EPA Renewable Fuel Standard Rallies Soybean Oil Prices

http://ow.ly/NEJ7306CUOV

Good read from Pro Farmer.  Comments that caught my attention are trade with China and Waters of the U.S. or WOTUS.

http://ow.ly/dQ063060Dzw

Guest Commentary from Daniel Kelley

http://www.e-websmartsites.com/filestore/KelleyDan1Percenters.pdf

Pro Farmer U.S. 2016 Corn and Soybean Crop Estimates

http://ow.ly/nWXm303GCol

SOYBEANS HIT 'LIMIT UP' ON USDA REPORT TODAY

http://ow.ly/9SSE3005oPB

Farmers to Get Largest Payments in a Decade from USDA FSA Farm Program Due to Low Crop Prices.

http://ow.ly/10zKKl

Hopefully our farmer friends have secured crop insurance for 2016. Lee Realty Group professionally managed owners accounts are ready for growing season 2016!

http://ow.ly/ZIyB8

Time to Celebrate...Today is National Ag Day!

http://www.agday.org/

Better Weather with Captain Kirk

http://ow.ly/Zu399

Will Spring Come Early in '16 and Bring a Hot, Dry Summer?

http://ow.ly/Zu01v

Looking for the past 10 years of McLean County corn and soybean yields?

Lee Realty Group has them for you!  Go to:

http://www.e-websmartsites.com/filestore/McleanCounty10YearCornBeanYields.pdf

http://ow.ly/Zg1XN

Outlook: How Long Will the Bear Cycle Last for Corn and Soybeans?

http://ow.ly/Z20uw

For the past three years soybeans have been more profitable than corn in IL.

http://ow.ly/YqIUG

https://youtu.be/QoKow2VPL2Y

Last evening nearly 600 of us celebrated our local business and community leaders at The McLean County Chamber of Commerce's Annual Gala here in Bloomington.

Congratulations to Tom Mercier for receiving the Legacy of Excellence and the other Business Excellence award recipients! 

#CelebrateMcLean

Interesting video about farmers and payment of income taxes.  This happening in some caes.

http://ow.ly/VAQnA

Machinery Capital Invested on the Farm.

http://ow.ly/UYG37

Farmland Partners Inc. Announces Agreement for Acquisition of Approximately 22,300 Acres in Illinois for $197 Million

http://ow.ly/UtZaO

Precision Agriculture: Not the Same as Big Data.  Link from farmdoc:

http://ow.ly/UkKu4

John Deere to Purchase Precision Planting. Go to AgWeb article:

http://ow.ly/UddLV

Very nicely done USDA Rod Bain radio segment on our soil and how to manage it. This is audio only, no video. http://ow.ly/U8M0Q

Maybe we're getting close to a sesonal low in the corn and soybeans markets.

ow.ly/SRo9N

Dow in correction mode.  CNBC link:ow.ly/RefZu

Pro Farmer 2015 Corn, Soybean Crop Estimates were released today, after they completed a seven state crop tour Monday thru Thursday this week, in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.  Variability was a commonly used word on the tour.  Corn nitrogen deficiency from the excessive rains that robbed the crop of yield potential was also common, in some areas.  A total of 1400 corn and 1400 soybean samples were taken.  In corn the population was there but the ear length in some cases was stunted due to the excessive rains.

PF estimated the 2015 U.S. corn crop at 13.323 billion bushels, an average yield of 164.3/acre. That compares to USDA’s corn yield estimate released earlier this month at 168.8 bu. per acre. This is a 4.5 bu. per/acre difference in the two yield estimates.

Click here for PF link: ow.ly/RdilJ

  usdaonline.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html

This morning I attended the annual Ag Breakfast.  Great turnout by close to 400 attendees including many local FFA chapter members. Keynote by Congressman Rodney Davis.  Continued celebration of 100 years for McLean County Extension with presentation by Director Bobbi Lewis Sibley.

It turns out that all the talk of potential frost late last week wasn't over-hyped.

 ow.ly/BxdaP

Lee Realty Group’s Don Meyer  is back in the ISU ag classroom again this fall teaching a few classes and he wanted to share a GREAT IL Farm Bureau resource he uses with students that summarizes the “IL Farm and Food” statistics!  Download the 59 page pdf to see good data and charts telling the agricultural story!

www.ilfb.org/e-media-publications/farm-food-facts.aspx

Last evening I attended the Pro Farmer crop tour stop in Bloomington.  They will release their estimates this Friday. Overall so far very healthy green corn and soybeans in very good shape. High yields but maybe not the bumper crop as expected.  Maybe the finish not as strong as early season conditions. ow.ly/AwoF5

I've always said Agriclture has always been on the forefront of technolgy. A Senior Editor with CNBC agrees and explained with this article.

www.cnbc.com/id/101746948

Farm Credit - 10 points to consider before purchasing rural property: ow.ly/wQY5Z

Enbridge can pursue eminent domain in IL to complete it's pipeline: ow.ly/wQMW8

Ag Drone Business Takes Off:  ow.ly/wQNhd

 Finally, a Farm Bill  www.agweb.com/article/finally_a_farm_bill_NAA_Jen_Russell/

This coming Wednesday the 12th is our Lee Realty Group public auction of 122.37 surveyed acres of McLean County farmland. Auction location is at the Evergreen FS building on Hershey (formerly McLean County Farm Bureau building). For a detailed brochure go to: www.leerealty.com/index.cfm

This Week in Agribusiness at the Decatur, IL Farm Progress Show: ow.ly/osARg

farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2013/08/expected-cash-rents-2014-professionally.html

Jeff Lee

www.agweb.com/profarmer/article/day_4_press_release_2013_pro_farmer_midwest_crop_tour_/ 

The Pro Farmer crop tour covered Iowa yesterday and indicated average soybean pod counts below those seen during last year’s drought.  Jeff

Farm Progress Show field demonstrations cancelled due to 2013 weather.

m.herald-review.com/news/local/cool-summer-cancels-farm-progress-show-field-demonstrations/article_7c769082-0ae2-11e3-ab98-001a4bcf887a.html

AccuWeather is saying an early frost for the Midwest.

 http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/fall-winter-forecast-2013/16321077

Two seminars recently attended, both here in Bloomington.  On Monday I attended Farm Family Estate Planning and Succession put on by the Illinois Tax School.  Very good presentations by local FBFM staff, Accountants and Lawyers.  With the increases in Farmland values this topic is even more important.  On Tuesday I attended the annual summer Brock Associates seminar for their commodity marketing outlook.  Jeff

Interesting article from the University of Minnesota discussed looking at water usage for 16 major row crops.

www.agweb.com/article/which_crops_are_the_thirstiest/

As mentioned in this article and video...it will take continued rainfall to catch up and then to grow a good crop during the 2013 growing season. Jeff.

http://www.agweb.com/article/midwest_soil_could_take_2_years_to_recover_from_drought/?smartid=&spMailingID=40990215&spUserID=NDYxNjk5MzA0NzcS1&spJobID=177659625&spReportId=MTc3NjU5NjI1S0

Yesterday we had a closing on 120 acres near Downs in Mclean County.  Congratulations to seller and the buyer on this farmand property sale.

Yesterday I deposited two checks into our escrow account, 120 acres near Downs and 40 acres near Stanford with a beautiful quality built home.  Closings in about a month on both. 

On the farm management side we are paying year end invoices due vendors. Some final distributions are being made. On one management account we are transferring ownership from a current trust into an LLC for family members. It's always a good idea to keep estate planning up to date. 

Article from farmdoc titled "How Bad Was the 2012 Corn and Soybean Growing Season?" farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2012/10/how_bad_was_the_2012_corn_and_.html

An article from farmdoc daily, a pub from the University of IL, discussing current farmland prices:http://www.farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2012/08/current_farmland_prices_in_lin_1.html

Last I evening attended the 2012 Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour meeting at the Doubletree here in Bloomington.  Reports were a confirmation of the much reduced yields expected for both the corn and beans from drought conditons.

Lee Realty Group is the product of a farm management company started in 1928 by Frank Fuller. Fuller was a University of Illinois extension agent with ties to the American Society of Farm Managers.  In 1998, Jeff Lee assumed ownership of the company and continues to fulfill Frank Fuller’s vision. Lee Realty Group offers comprehensive land services, including farm real estate sales and acquisitions, professional farm management, farmland auctions, and rural appraisals.