Vol. 9 , No. 2 
Page 5 
Until recent years, the price on redtop seed was unstable. Few farmers now 
have the proper machinery for harvesting redtop. Also, timing of the harvest is 
critical if maximum yields of seed are to be obtained; and the harvest period 
occurs at a time when farmers are busy with other field work. 
However, at a major seed company near Bogota, prices received by farmers for 
redtop seed ranged between 30 and 40 cents per pound in 1965 and 1 966 . Studies at 
the University of Illinois experimental farm in Jasper County have shown that 
average yields of 200 pounds per acre over periods as long as 10 years are possible. 
The primary treatment was an annual application of nitrogen, 40 pounds per acre. 
Also, during the experiments several farmers averaged 200 pounds per acre on large 
fields. As shown in Table 4, high-yielding redtop, at a price of 30 cents per 
pound, can be as economically sound an investment as row crops or small grains. 
If high-yield stands of redtop can be shown to be as desirable for prairie 
chicken nesting cover as are mediocre stands, known to be used by chickens, the 
problem of maintaining remnant populations of prairie chickens in Illinois may be 
partially solved. The results of such research could then be publicized and 
promoted among farmers still having prairie chickens on their farms. Other species 
of grass may hold equal promise from the standpoint of both farm economics and 
prairie chicken ecology. 
Table 4. Economic comparison of corn, soybeans, wheat, and redtop on 40 acres each 
of fertile prairie farmland in southeastern Illinois. Cost estimates are based on 
advice from U. of |. agronomy staff in Jasper County and from Effingham County 
farm advisers. 
C rop 
Gross 
1ncome 
Annual Production Costs 
(Percent of Gross Income) 
Net 
1ncome 
Corn 
40 a X 100 bu/a 
X $1.00/bu 
= $4,000.00 
60 percent 
$ 1 ,600.00 
Soybeans 
40 a X 30 bu/a 
X $2.35/bu 
= $2,820.00 
50 percent 
$ 1,410.00 
Wheat 
40 a X 40 bu/a 
X $1 .30/bu 
= $2,080.00 
30 percent 
$ 1,456.00 
Redtop 
40 a X 175 1b/a 
X $0.30/lb 
= $2,100.00 
25 percent 
$ 1 ,57S.00 
6. Rabbit Management j. A. Bailey, R. J. Siglin 
Data resulting from monthly 10-day trapping periods conducted on the Allerton 
Park 4-H Area during the fall and winter seasons of the past 2 years (Table 5) 
