Crop Production

Stress and the 2024 corn and soybean crops

  • June 21, 2024

  • Emerson Nafziger, Giovani Preza Fontes

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;…

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Corn Rootworm Bt Resistance Webinar Today at 11am

  • March 30, 2023

  • Todd Gleason

Register for today’s 11am central Webinar
Bt Resistance and Management Recommendations for Illinois
REGISTER NOW
Corn rootworm remains the most economically damaging insect pest of corn in Illinois, though its impact in recent years has primarily been felt in the northern third of the state. The ongoing development of resistance to Bt traits has complicated management decisions for Illinois farmers. Join University of Illinois scientists to discuss the status of rootworm populations and Bt resistance throughout Illinois,…

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2023 Illinois Crop Management Conference

  • January 24, 2023

  • Talon Becker

If you haven’t already, there is still time to register at the early bird rate for the Illinois Crop Management Conferences in Champaign and Sycamore.  We will also be offering an online option, as we have the past couple years, for those that prefer to view recorded presentations as their schedule allows.
CHAMPAIGN | FEB. 7
REGISTER HERE – https://go.illinois.edu/23CMC-Champaign
AGENDA – CLICK HERE
Registration on or before Jan. 31 is $80;…

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Considerations as the 2022 Corn Crop Approaches Maturity

  • September 1, 2022

  • Emerson Nafziger

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.…

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EVENT: 2022 Ag Field Day at Monmouth Research Farm

  • June 30, 2022

  • Chelsea Harbach


The Northwest Illinois Agriculture Research and Demonstration Center outside of Monmouth, Illinois will be holding an Ag Field Day on July 27 this year. The program will run from 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Presenters for the field day are Nick Seiter, Emerson Nafziger, Trent Ford, Phillip Alberti, and Greg Steckel. Topics will include corn rootworm, nitrogen management, climate trends, hemp, and corn/soybean planting dates. The program is free to attend, and water/light refreshments will be provided.…

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Seeing Crops Through a Hot, Dry June

  • June 17, 2022

  • Emerson Nafziger

After a slow start, corn and soybean planting in Illinois proceeded at a normal pace in 2022. Rainfall in May was at 85 percent of normal statewide. While we remember the very warm days from May 10-15 and a few days later in the month, the statewide May temperature was only about 2 degrees warmer than normal.
The weather during the first half of June continued the trend from May, with temperatures averaging about 2 degrees above normal,…

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Illinois Crops Update 5/27/2022

  • May 27, 2022

  • Chelsea Harbach

Each week, I put out a request to crops educators and specialists from the University of Illinois to compile an update to share with the entire state. We hope you find this information useful. If you have any questions or suggestions about the format or any feedback in general about these updates, please email me (harbach2@illinois.edu).
Nick Seiter, field crops entomology Extension specialist, University of Illinois
There have been relatively few early-season insect problems reported so far.…

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Illinois Crops Update 5/20/2022

  • May 20, 2022

  • Chelsea Harbach

Each week, I put out a request to crops educators and specialists from the University of Illinois to compile an update to share with the entire state. We hope you find this information useful. If you have any questions or suggestions about the format or any feedback in general about these updates, please email me (harbach2@illinois.edu).
 
Nick Seiter, field crops entomology Extension specialist, University of Illinois
I have received few reports of insect damage to date,…

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Illinois Crops Update 5/13/2022

  • May 13, 2022

  • Chelsea Harbach

Welcome to the first weekly crops update from Illinois Extension. Each week, I put out a request to crops educators and specialists from University of Illinois to compile an update to share with the entire state. We hope you find this information useful, and if you have any questions or suggestions about the format, please email me (harbach2@illinois.edu).
Emerson Nafziger, agronomy specialist and professor emeritus Dept. of Crop Sciences
While we welcome the warm weather that has dried fields and enabled a lot of planting this week,…

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On the Watch for Soil Crusting

  • May 6, 2022

  • Emerson Nafziger

Corn and soybean planting progress has been slow so far in Illinois, with 7 percent of the corn crop and 5 percent of the soybean crop planted by May 1. These numbers should increase modestly by May 8, but this will not be an early-planting year. With warm temperatures returning next week, planting progress should accelerate.
Soil temperatures at the 2-inch depth over the last ten days ranged from around 60 in southern Illinois to 55 in central Illinois to 50 in northern Illinois.…

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