McKay Farms begin Harvest 2018 in Beecher City

Harvest started in the middle of September and has brought us great yields and exciting memories. That #Harvest18 season has experienced wonderful weather outside of today which resulted in 1-3 inches of rain in the area. Blake McKay has been busy with the drone capturing some unbelievable aeriel shots that could not have been accomplished without new technologies. Check out the pictures below and expect many more pictures to be published soon. Happy Harvest!!

Thumbs up to Harvest Season

Benson enjoying combine ride

Jason McKay standing on Semi

Joey and Benson

National Farm Machinery Show held in Louisville, KY

The 52nd National Farm Machinery Show and America's largest indoor farm show is being held in Louisville, Kentucky. Dan and Rita McKay attended the show to learn about the latest equipment, technologies and best practices. Do not forget to save the date for the Farm Progress Show 2017 held August 29-31 in Decatur, Illinois.

#Harvest16 for McKay Farms is finished!

After many long days of work and hard work by Dan McKay and his sons, we are proud to say #Harvest16 is successfully finished. Harvest makes Fall the best season of the year and allows the family to come together to accomplish one goal. We will now begin preparing for #Plant17 with soil testing, fall tillage and tractor maintenance.

More Pictures of Harvest 2016

Another successful week of shelling corn contributed to these pictures below. With corn nearly complete, we will be switching to cutting beans this upcoming week.

Great Start to Harvest 2016

The weather has been perfect over the past week allowing the family to begin operations on Harvest 2016. A busy and successful week of over 250 acres of corn shelled and contributions from the entire family. We will have a lot of pictures to share over the next coming weeks as Harvest season is here!

Plant 2016 is in full speed!

Spring is here and Planting Season has arrived! Rain has delayed the process some including over an inch last night throughout all of Central Illinois. We have over 80% of corn planted and praying for some sunshine to get back at work. Currently, 57% of corn in Illinois has been planted. Check out a few pictures from #Plant16.

Time to Clean the Farm Equipment!

Blake McKay washing John Deere

Tyler McKay cleaning Brent Grain Cart

Harvest 2015 is over and preparations are made each day for the coming year. The beautiful weather lately has been great to allow us to clean our farm machinery before storing for the long winter ahead. We have most of the equipment cleaned up but still have to finish a few tractors and the hardest piece- the combine.

Cash rent changes for 2016

(Source: University of Illinois) Cash rents on professionally managed farmland likely will decrease for the 2016 cropping year. Rents on non-professionally managed farmland likely will decrease as well. However, projected rent decreases are not large enough to cause farmers to have positive returns in 2016 given current projections of commodity prices and costs. The lagged relationship between returns and cash rents still exists.

Each year, the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers conducts a survey of its membership. In this survey, managers are asked the cash rent for the current year and expectations for next year. This survey provides a good indicator of rents on professionally managed farmland. Managers give averages and expectations for four classes of farmland productivity:

• Excellent - expected corn yields over 190 bushels per acre
• Good - Expected corn yields between 170 and 190 bushels per acre
• Averages - expected corn yields between 150 and 170 bushels per acre
• Fair - expected corn yields less than 150 bushels per acre

For excellent quality farmland, the average cash rent on professionally managed farmland was $374 per acre in 2014. Cash rents decreased to $350 per acre in 2015. Current expectations are for cash rents to continue the decrease in 2016. Expected rent in 2016 is $318 per acre, a $32 decrease from the 2015 level. Similar decreases are projected for all land classes:

• Good quality farmland: a $28 per acre decrease to $267 per acre
• Average quality farmland: a $31 decrease to $219 per acre
• Fair quality farmland: a $23 decrease to $177 per acre

These professionally managed cash rents typically are higher than "average" cash rents, which include all farmland, the majority of which that is not professionally managed. In 2014, for example, excellent productivity farmland had an average cash rent of $293 per acre, $81 less than the $374 per acre for professionally managed farmland. While $293 per acre is the average, there is a large range in rents, with some rents considerably below average, just as there are rents above average.

Harvest 2015 is Complete!

Nearly perfect weather throughout the months of September and October has allowed Harvest 2015 to finished at a record pace on October 3rd, 2015. Dan McKay and his sons worked day and night until the job was complete. We have to thank God for safety during the harvest season and for the beautiful weather to help deliver another successful harvest.

Working through the night

Jason McKay overlooking last load of corn for Harvest 2015