Illinois Extension Email

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Illinois Crop Update – August 22, 2025

  • August 22, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Steve Brand– Commercial Agriculture Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Condition: Near Normal
After a wet couple of weeks up north we are all but back to normal precipitation levels for the season. Most areas across northern IL saw anywhere from 1-4 inches of rain depending on how many storms hit over the past weekend and have primed plants to finish strong through ear and pod fill. Disease has become much more prevalent as the rain has opened up and temperatures have dropped from the 90s.…

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Illinois Crop Update – August 15, 2025

  • August 15, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
This week Dr. Giovani Preza Fontes, assistant professor and Agronomy Extension Specialist from the University of Illinois visited the Grundy-Kendall County area and met with area producers where he shared expectations of both state and local yields. Farmers were provided with recent weather data and were encouraged to take kernel and population counts to determine yield estimates in their own fields.…

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Illinois Crop Update – August 8, 2025

  • August 8, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Steve Brand – Commercial Agriculture Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Near Normal
Conditions over the past 2 weeks have reverted back to being dry with temperatures in the upper 80’s to low 90’s. The corn and soybeans have been progressing very quickly with the increased Growth Degree Units and just enough moisture. As we look at the drought map most of Northern IL remains in the D0 drought with a small area south of Chicago in a D1.…

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Illinois Crop Update – August 1, 2025

  • August 1, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Emily Hansen – Commercial Agriculture Educator
LaSalle County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Wet (soil is wetter than normal, local vegetation is healthy)
The heat and humidity has finally broken today after what feels like a very miserable few weeks. Over the past week rainfall in LaSalle, Bureau, Marshall, and Putnam counties has been sporadic, with some areas seeing nearly 6 inches and others seeing less than an inch. Crops in areas that received less rainfall are still looking a little heat stressed.…

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Illinois Crop Update – July 25, 2025

  • July 25, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Steve Brand– Commercial Agriculture Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Near Normal
Its another hot week upon as a heat dome settles down on the Midwest as a whole. July so far has brought 3.5 – 5 inches of rain depending on the area you are in, excluding Will county which is still in a somewhat severe drought. Northwest Illinois is on pace for historical averages and enjoying a great growing season. South of Chicago and some of the suburban counties are drier than normal and continue to be in either a D1 or D2 drought.…

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Illinois Crop Update – July 18, 2025

  • July 18, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Steve Brand– Commercial Agriculture Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
The rains have finally arrived in northern IL with a handful of widespread storm events with more starting this weekend and pushing into next week. Most areas have reverted to D0 or D1 drought status and crops are doing well. Will county is the only area still in a D2 drought.…

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Illinois Crop Update – July 11, 2025

  • July 11, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Steve Brand– Commercial Agriculture Specialist
Grundy and DeKalb Counties
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
Another dry week for northern IL with a few isolated storms occurring further west or in Chicago. We have slid back into a predominantly D1 drought, with large areas of Kane and Will County entering into a D2 drought. Corn and soybeans have started to grow out of the early season stunting,…

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Illinois Crop Update – July 4, 2025

  • July 4, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Kathryn Seebruck – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Winnebago County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
Across much of the area, there are entire fields of soybeans exhibiting cupping. The widespread nature of the symptom could point to environmental stress as the cause, potentially from hot and dry conditions over the past week and a half. Many soybean fields are still not canopied.
Corn has greatly increased in height recently due to the accumulation of over 240 GDDs over the past week and a half.…

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Illinois Crop Update – June 27, 2025

  • June 27, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Steve Brand – Commercial Agriculture Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Near Normal
Overall, it’s been a very hot and humid week across northern IL as we begin to move out of the heat dome that’s been sitting on us for the past 5 days. This week alone, we have added nearly 200 GDU from the heat wave for Dekalb county with totals reaching 959 GDU on the season, and isolated rainstorms have brought a little bit of relief to the drought-stricken areas.…

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Illinois Crop Update – June 20, 2025

  • June 20, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Steve Brand – Commercial Agriculture Specialist
Dekalb County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
The past couple of weeks have been exceptionally dry for Northern Illinois. We have had a few sporadic rain events with rainfall totals being very isolated and regional from pop up severe storms. With the rain we received this past week including Wednesday 6/18 we have moved towards a more normal rain total on the season,…

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