Crop Production

Illinois Extension has released two updated publications on corn and soybean management in Illinois.
These publications offer guidance to assist producers, crop consultants, and agronomists on how to manage Illinois corn and soybean crops in the most efficient and profitable manner. The recommendations provide guidelines and should be adjusted to suit the specific conditions of each producer’s cropping systems.
The publications are designed as a quick reference and provide research-based, current information on:

• Variety/hybrid selection
• Planting practices
• Nutrient management
• Weed management
• Insect management
• Disease management

The publications can be found linked on the Illinois Extension Crops website under Publications/Fact Sheets,…

As high temperatures continue and rainfall remains scarce, many Illinois producers are getting concerned about prospects for the 2024 crops. While it is not very productive to ask ourselves if we should have managed tillage and planting differently, remembering how this year’s crop is faring might inform some of our decisions in the future.
After a planting season that stretched from late March to mid-June and included a substantial amount of replanting, Illinois corn and soybeans are almost completely planted;…

The 2022 Illinois corn crop was planted about two weeks later than normal, but slightly above-normal temperatures this summer have helped move crop development along (Figure 1); the crop is only a few days behind normal as it reaches late grainfilling stages and maturity. With the forecast for warm weather to continue into September, we can expect the majority of the crop to reach maturity by mid-September.
One helpful tool to help track development and maturity in corn is the corn GDD tool located at https://mygeohub.org/groups/u2u/purdue_gdd.…