Corn farmers in Illinois have a decision to make: Do they plant or do they punt?

Federal crop insurance programs start paying less and less soon.

Farmers in Illinois, and the rest of the country, need to decide if they will try and plant a corn crop this year, or if they will simply take the payout.

Illinois Department of Agriculture boss John Sullivan said it’s an important decision to make.

“In the very near future, with regard to federal crop insurance, if a farmer wants to do preventive planting because they can’t get a crop in the ground, they need to take some steps soon,” Sullivan said. “As a matter of fact, the preventive plant date for most of Illinois is June 5.”

Sullivan said the state can help farmers who are busy fighting the Mississippi or Illinois rivers.

“If there is a farmer who is busy trying to protect farmland because of the flooding that is taking place right now, and they don’t have time to complete some of the paperwork that’s necessary. Please contact the Department of Agriculture,” Sullivan said. “We will do whatever we can to assist them.”

About 35 percent of Illinois’ corn crop had been planted as of last week. Last year, it was 99 percent.

Farmers are facing a similar crop insurance deadline for soybeans on June 15 or June 20, depending on where they live.

94.1 WGFA