Between 2000 and 2004, corn returns exceeded soybean returns...

Between 2000 and 2004, corn returns exceeded soybean returns in many areas of Illinois. Budgets suggest that recent cost increases have narrowed the gap between corn and soybean returns. Higher corn yields will be required in 2006 as compared to recent years for projected corn returns to exceed soybean returns. From a returns perspective, farmers may wish to plant soybeans on farmland that could be corn-after-corn in 2006.