cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

 
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
We had a major swing in our weather this week, from warm and dry to hot and stormy. Average temperatures over the past 7 days ranged from the high 60s in northern Illinois to the high 70s in southern Illinois, between 3 and 10 degrees above average. However, the humidity was the noteworthy change this week, with dewpoints regularly reaching into the 60s and 70s,…

Kathryn Seebruck – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Stephenson County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Wet (soil is wetter than normal, local vegetation is healthy)
Although the entire month of May saw just under an inch of rain in total, the beginning of June has brought some relief with over two inches of rain deposited thus far with more on the way (based on data from the Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring Program Freeport station –…

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Despite some wet and cold periods in April and May across parts of Illinois, the 2026 corn and soybean crops were planted at a near-normal pace. Soybean planting began early and remained ahead of corn planting throughout the season, with 7% of the soybean crop planted by April 7 (5% above the five-year average for 2021-2025) and 50% planted by May 5. The first NASS report for corn indicated 1% planted by April 5 and 50% planted by May 10.…

Weed Science Field Research Tour, Wednesday, June 24 in Champaign
The weed science program at the University of Illinois invites all weed management practitioners to our annual weed science field tour on Wednesday, June 24, at the Department of Crop Sciences field research location known as the Clem Farm, located at 1114 County Road 1200 East, Champaign. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. and the tour will start at 9:00 a.m. Preregistration is not required, but please let us know in advance if you will be bringing a large group of participants so we can plan accordingly for meals.…