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Illinois farmer harvests the best wheat he’s ever had

A southeast Illinois farmer is finishing up the final passes of winter wheat harvest with a big smile on his face.

“This wheat crop will be the best this farm has ever had by 10 bushels at least, and it’s hard to believe.”

Dave Kermicle and his family farm 500 acres of wheat near Olney. He tells Brownfield with strategic management and some help from mother nature Kermicle Farms rounded up impressive yields.

“We are proving here in 2021 that wheat yields can exceed 100 bushels to the acre and do it as a farm average. That’s exciting and that makes wheat profitable. Wheat is good for the soil, but it’s always had a bad reputation because it wasn’t as profitable as corn and beans, but we are proving we can make profit on wheat also.”

Kermicle started harvesting Monday and welcomed Brownfield’s Rhiannon Branch to ride along in his combine Thursday. He should finish today if he doesn’t get rained out.

Kermicle is thankful for such a good crop, recognizing that other farmers across the Midwest have faced weather challenges that negatively impacted winter wheat.