TAYLOR RIDGE, Ill. — Thanks to some well-timed rain, farmers in the Quad Cities area are seeing surprisingly good harvests despite dry weather this year.
As crops are harvested, they can be sent to one of Big River Resources' seven Quad Cities locations for storage and shipment. Tom Parchert of Big River Resources in Taylor Ridge said this year's droughts have hurt farmers' harvests.
"We've had enough enough dry weather that stuff's getting down to 8-9% moisture," Parchert said. "So that causes extra shrinkage of stuff for the farmers."
Even with dry conditions, Big River's storage units capable of holding nearly 4 million bushels are still getting filled up. Parchert said timely rains and ideal harvest conditions have helped crops turn out healthier than expected.
"We've already shipped a fair amount out just to kind of keep making room for what we have," Parchert said. "So hopefully, you ship out the right amount so that when you get to the end, everything fits."
Though most crops have already been harvested, some are still hard at work. Ben Keller, a local farmer, said he's been working on his soybean harvest for almost three weeks. He uses Big River's Taylor Ridge location for his crops.
"We're lucky in this area to have Big River, 'cause Big River's got storage," Keller said. "So it hasn't been a concern of ours to have a place to take the crop."
Parchert estimates soybean harvests to be about 70% done for the season.
As he continues working for the season, Parchert said anyone pushing towards the end of the harvest should take care of themselves.
"The biggest thing is just take care of yourself and slow down," Parchert said. "Worry about not just yourself, but look out for the other guy as well."
Part of taking care of each other includes being considerate of farm equipment on the road. While it can be frustrating to be stuck behind, farmers ask the public to be patient with them to keep everyone safe.
With rain coming later this week, farmers will have a bit of a break before finishing for the season.
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