Fall represents the peak season for harvesting two of the most widely grown crops in Illinois: soybeans and corn. Illinois farmers grow more soybeans than farmers in any other state, and Illinois ranks second in corn production behind Iowa. Here are the definitions of some terms commonly used in autumn on the farm.
- Harvest – The season when farmers gather ripened crops; a crop or yield of one growing season.
- Combine – A machine designed to efficiently harvest a variety of grain crops, the name derives from its combining three separate harvesting operations – reaping, threshing, and winnowing – into a single process. See more: How Do Combines Work? (VIDEO)
- Bushel – A measurement of capacity or size pertaining to agricultural crops. One bushel of dry wheat weighs 60 lbs., one bushel of dry soybeans weighs 60 lbs., and one bushel of dry corn weighs 56 lbs.
- Acre – A unit of land area measuring 43,560 square feet. This unit of measurement is believed to originate from the amount of land one person could work in a single day with a yoke of oxen and a wooden plow.
- Yield – The amount of a crop produced in each time or from a given place.
- Drying – The phase of the post-harvest system where farmers rapidly dry harvested grains and oilseeds until they reach the optimal moisture level for storage.
