Thursday is the first day to harvest the 2015 crop of seed corn at Munson Hybrids in Galesburg.
"I think our crop will be the story of the good, the bad and the ugly," said Munson's owner John Hennenfent.
The Galesburg grower is seeing a variety of conditions in the field.
"We've got some really good areas, and we've got some that are not so good," he said.
The corn harvester is back in motion to cover familiar rows. The entire process will take about a month.
Still, some corn is producing fewer kernels.
"It's not filled out," he said. "You don't have those kernels packed together. They're more round."
Plus, international uncertainty keeps prices slumping. It's slicing corn prices in half from past $7 bushels.
"If we get China's economy back to growth again, they've got more money to spend," he continued. "They're going to spend it on importing food products."
Munson Hybrids sells to farmers in five states. While they need seeds, growers will be watching their wallets this winter.
"I think we'll see that slow down," he said. "Guys decide maybe they can run that tractor or combine another year."
Despite heavy rains in June and July, nearly three-fourths of the Illinois corn crop rates fair to good. This harvest will likely bring in less than 2014's bumper crop.
Hennenfent expects that the regional field corn harvest will begin around September 20.
As seed corn moves up the long conveyor belt, it will keep crews busy for weeks to come. That's a rewarding feeling for the 81-year-old business.
"It's a culmination of another year's work," Hennenfent concluded. "We'll get to see what rewards we get for all the effort we put in."
Effort at Munson Hybrids to bag the next season of seeds in Galesburg.