cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

 
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
Illinois State Water Survey | Prairie Research Institute
University of Illinois
We can wrap a bow around a very hot and humid month of July across Illinois. Average temperatures in July were between 2 and 6 degrees above average, and last month will likely be a top 20 warmest July on record statewide. However, the character of the heat was different than past very hot Julys. We did not have several days with temperatures in the triple digits,…

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.…

Symptoms of Red Crown Rot (RCR), caused by the soilborne fungus Calonectria ilicicola, are now appearing in commercial soybean fields. As of July 29, 2025, leaf, stem, and root symptoms have been observed in commercial fields in Shelby County, an area with a known history of RCR dating back to 2023. Additional cases have been confirmed in research plots in Madison and Macoupin counties, which also have recurring disease pressure.
In Shelby County,…

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.…