ROBERTSON COUNTY, TENN. (RFD NEWS) — For Robertson County farmer Bruce Brooksher, this year’s corn harvest is one for the record books.
At 63, Brooksher says he’s been running the combine since he was about 20, and this is by far the best corn crop he’s ever seen.
“It’s kind of real refreshing to, you know, to see the yields because we know what we’ve got invested in it. The last two or three years we done good just to survive,” he told the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation.
Yields across the farm have been strong, with some fields running 10 to 20 bushels above previous records. Brooksher credits timely rains in late June and throughout July for helping the crop reach its potential.
But record yields do not necessarily mean record profits.
“With the record crop that we have this year, you can make some money, but the price of machinery and all the other inputs go into it. If you’re having to put money towards that, there ain’t much left.”
Input costs remain a major concern, even with higher crop prices.
“The input cost is what’s killing us. Price has gone up a little but not enough really to offset the input cost.”
Fuel is one of those expenses. Brooksher says his combine burns about 15 gallons of diesel an hour, with fuel prices recently reaching the mid-$5 range.
“When you grow a good crop like this, obviously you need to make money because there’s some years where you don’t make much money and you have to provide from those years to support off of this one.”
For the Brooksher family, profitability is also important to keeping the operation going for the next generation.
“Farming is something that you’re born to do. I think I’m proud to try and keep this farm going and succeeding.”
He says he hopes the farm will remain an option for his children and extended family if they want to continue farming.
“I enjoy the fall. Harvesting the crops that you’ve planted in the spring and seeing the yields that come out of those crops that you plan for on the good years is a great feeling.”
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USDA’s 2026 Tennessee agriculture overview currently estimates 880,000 acres of corn for grain will be harvested, with an estimated yield of 181 bushels per acre.
The latest USDA figures show about 44 percent of Tennessee’s corn crop has been harvested, with 45 percent rated good.
