We'll know next fall how good it is. One is land prices. This winter, say Gordon Hannagan of Gifford and Tom Bretz of Villa Grove, buyers demonstrated their faith in agriculture's future by paying hefty prices for farmland. Barkers are part of history in that area. He said troubles in the 1980s taught farmers caution about land investments and good years in the 1990s put money in their pockets.
People buying have money, and lenders are choosier.
Bretz said there hasn't been much land for sale in his area, and what did sell sold well. He said urban sprawl is affecting prices in his neighborhood. Greg Johnson at The Andersons elevator northwest of Champaign, said there's also a glimmer of hope now for commodity prices. They're destroying 5 percent of their herd, and that will cut into our corn exports. He said several Andersons' customers have already planted some corn, including Alvin Christians, Rich Rademacher and Bud Barker.