The barren fields are now brown,

Field work is beginning to slow down,

Ammonia is being knifed in,

Harvest is over, crops in the bin,

Thanksgiving, a wonderful time of year,

We celebrate with those we hold dear,

We are in a challenging time,

Out of this downturn we will climb,

In May we were making mud pie,

Wet and cool, I wanted to cry,

Corn went in a month late,

What will be this year's fate?

Plant in dust, bins will bust,

Plant in mud, crop will be a dud,

Beans went in late, too,

I was kind of blue,

Planting season lasted eight weeks,

Crop outlook was pretty bleak,

In June the sky opened up,

Lots of flooding to clean up,

Nine inches or so,

Ponds everywhere we go,

A perfect corn tassel time,

I am running out of words that rhyme,

In August rain "five minutes before too late,"

Beans filled out, it was great,

Rain makes grain,

Became a common refrain,

Crop estimating tours,

100 bushel yield range for sure,

September brought remnants of hurricane,

Hail, wind, and four inches of rain,

Soybean rust was south for most of the season,

Aphids stayed north for some reason,

Late September harvest did start,

Ponds everywhere, patchwork art,

Corn wouldn't dry down,

It caused me to frown,

Challenging harvest continued for weeks,

The yields, let's take a peek,

Pleasant surprise for corn and soy,

Many farmers went, "Oh, boy"!

Champaign County has blessings that make us unique,

Let's take a moment to take a peek,

Wonderful people are everywhere,

We see them at Gordyville, I & I, Fisher & Champaign County Fair,

Ag heritage is preserved by the club named I & I,

Historic Farm Days every July,

We are lucky to have Curtis Orchard & Hardy's Reindeer,

Unique family fun in a rural atmosphere,

Alto takes the grape and makes wine,

Buy a bottle to enjoy while you dine,

We are so thankful for our prime soil,

Generations of farmers on this land they do toil,

Pray for our soldiers across the sea,

Doing the tough job of protecting you and me,

Remember the Pilgrims and their Indian guests,

Celebrating their friendship on a feast to digest,

Oh, look, is than snow?

Where did 2008 go?

I wish you the best in 2009,

May your life be full of sunshine,

As we are thankful for our bounty,

Happy Thanksgiving to all in Champaign County!!!