Nearly all of Illinois received rainfall in the late June and early July, with amounts of 2 to 5 inches across a large part of the state (Figure 1). There is more variability than the map shows – for example, only 1.67 inches fell at Willard Airport near Champaign, not the 2.5-3” indicated on the map. But there is no doubt that the rain boosted crop prospects for 2023, and reversed the month-long decline in crop condition.…
Welcome to 5-Minute Farmdoc, your go-to channel for insightful discussions on various topics related to agriculture. In today’s episode, we delve into the world of crop insurance and explore a recent proposal discussed by our colleagues from North Dakota. They suggest a change to the subsidy mechanism that assists farmers in covering the costs of crop insurance policies. This proposal aims to cap the farmer’s premium costs at 4% of the policy’s liability,…
Russ Higgins – Extension Commercial Ag Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Moderately Dry (soil is dry, plants may be browning or stressed, water bodies are low)
Some fortunate NE farms received up to an inch of rain this past week. The rainfall helped our soy crop initiate new trifoliates, improving field aesthetics by hiding leaves present when post-herbicides were applied, giving some fields a “dinged” appearance. While recent rainfall was welcomed, signs of a very dry early vegetative season,…
Russ Higgins – Extension Commercial Ag Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Severely Dry (soil is very dry, water bodies are very low, vegetation is stressed)
Another week without a hint of precipitation in most of NE Illinois; soy has basically stopped growing and corn fields are struggling to canopy between rows. My thermometer is registering 99 degrees this afternoon. I truly hope to share a different story next week. There is concern on how long these crops can hang on before suffering significant yield consequences.…
The first two months of the 2023 growing season have been much like the first two months of the 2022 growing season, with a few key differences. The 2023 crop was planted earlier and into somewhat drier soils – some producers actually waited to plant during part of the second half of April until the weather warmed up. By May 7, 73% of the corn and 66% of the soybean had been planted, compared to the 14% for corn and 10% for soybean from May 7,…
Nearly all herbicide labels (soil-applied or postemergence) have rotational crop intervals that specify the amount of time that must elapse between herbicide application and planting a rotational crop. This becomes particularly important with late-season herbicide applications, and when soil moisture is limited. Additionally, the labels of almost all postemergence soybean herbicides indicate a preharvest interval or a soybean developmental stage beyond which applications cannot be made. Labels of some products may indicate both a developmental stage (before soybean bloom,…
For the last several years, Illinois cooperators have participated in a region-wide monitoring effort for corn rootworm beetles. (You can view the results of these efforts at https://www.rootwormipm.org; see “Adult Trapping Network” on the upper right). This effort allows us to track corn rootworm distributions over time, identify likely problem areas, and keep track of the species composition between western and norther corn rootworm. These monitoring efforts have helped us to document several trends over the last couple of years,…
Russ Higgins – Extension Commercial Ag Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Moderately Dry (soil is dry, plants may be browning or stressed, water bodies are low)
In northeast Illinois fortunate farmers and farms received measurable rain, those that didn’t continue to watch their crops struggle in drought conditions. While most are familiar with a corn plant’s defense mechanism of leaf wrapping to lessen moisture loss, soy has defense mechanisms as well. Under moisture limited conditions or excessive temperature,…
Soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) cause more losses in Illinois soybeans than any other pathogen. For example, in 2021 alone, losses attributed to SCN were estimated at over 14 million bushels, valued at over $185 million. Frequently the effects of SCN go unnoticed, as many of our modern cultivars do not express noticeable aboveground symptoms of infection except under special circumstances. Even when aboveground symptoms are absent, SCN infections can result in losses of approximately 10% if the nematodes are present at sufficient densities.…
Russ Higgins – Extension Commercial Ag Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Moderately Dry (soil is dry, plants may be browning or stressed, water bodies are low)
Many areas in Northeastern Illinois are experiencing a level of drought conditions. Corn is wrapping in some fields during the day in response to temperatures and lack of moisture. Soybean growth has slowed, and most are hoping for more favorable conditions before applying post herbicides in this crop. …