cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
Illinois State Water Survey | Prairie Research Institute
University of Illinois
Another week of hot and humid weather across the state had me October dreaming. Average temperature this week ranged from the mid-70s in northern Illinois to the mid-80s in southern Illinois, between 2 and 6 degrees above normal. Virtually all parts of the state saw multiple days with high temperatures well into the 90s, including 98 degrees in Rock Island and 96 in Mt Vernon.…

Calling all corn and soybean producers and agricultural advisers! The United Soybean Board (USB), in partnership with the Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC), Illinois Extension, Illinois State Water Survey (Illinois State Climatologist) and the Illinois Soybean Association, invites you to a virtual workshop informing the future of the MRCC’s Ag Climate Dashboard and new ag climate tool production.
The Ag Climate Dashboard provides climate and agricultural data for producers, advisers, and researchers in the Midwest. Here’s a sneak peek.…

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.…

Symptoms of Red Crown Rot (RCR), caused by the soilborne fungus Calonectria ilicicola, have begun to appear in our 2025 field trials at Illinois farms in Madison and Macoupin counties with a known history of the disease (Figure 1). Similar observations are being reported by colleagues in Kentucky and Indiana, indicating regional disease activity is underway.

Figure 1. Early foliar symptoms of red crown rot in soybean observed in Madison and Macoupin counties on July 17,…