cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Illinois Crop Update – September 26, 2025

  • September 26, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Reagen Tibbs– Commercial Agriculture Educator
Logan County
Soil Condition: Moderately Dry (soil is dry, plants may be browning or stressed, water bodies are low)
Rains over the last week have been welcome but have not provided the much-needed relief from drought conditions. If anything, the rain has slowed the harvest progress for many across Logan County. While on the outside rows, some fields appear ready to harvest, there are still many green plants deep inside the fields.…

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From Rare to Relevant: Calonectria ilicicola and Its Growing Impact on Soybean Production in Illinois

  • September 25, 2025

  • Esneider Bojaca, Diane Plewa, Boris Camiletti

Introduction
Red crown rot (RCR) of soybean is a disease caused by the fungal pathogen Calonectria ilicicola. This pathogen was first identified on peanuts in the United States in 1965 [1]. Since then, C. ilicicola has been found to cause disease in a wide variety of hosts across the world. It was first confirmed on soybeans in 1968 in Japan [2] and subsequently identified on soybeans in the United States in 1972 [3] in North Carolina.…

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Sep 19 | Weather Update and Market Revie

  • September 19, 2025

  • Todd Gleason

We slipped back into summer this week. Average temperatures ranged from the mid-60s in northern Illinois to the mid-70s in southern Illinois, 4 to 8 degrees above normal. The lack of humidity and extremely dry conditions allowed daytime high temperatures to push well into the 90s this week. Some of the more impressive highs this week included 99 degrees in Alton and Decatur.
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
This week was also very dry yet again across the state.…

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Illinois Crop Update – September 19, 2025

  • September 19, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Steve Brand– Commercial Agriculture Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Condition: Near Normal
We have had a bit of a mini heat wave here in the middle of September as temperatures returned to near normal compared to the previous two weeks of cooler weather. The warmer temperatures are helping the corn and soybeans progress along through maturity as we are a bit behind the rest of the state harvest and maturity-wise. As the rest of the state is entering into some more substantial droughts,…

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The 2025 soybean crop as we approach harvest

  • September 12, 2025

  • Giovani Preza Fontes, Emerson Nafziger

You can also read the article in Portuguese and Spanish
While August rainfall is the “soybean maker,” July rainfall is also important to the podsetting process that sets up yield potential. July rainfall was plentiful overall in Illinois, but varied from an inch or two less than normal in parts of southern Illinois to more than twice normal amounts in western and northwestern Illinois. In contrast, August rainfall was less than normal over all but the northern edge of the state,…

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Sep 12 | Weather Update and Market Review

  • September 12, 2025

  • Todd Gleason

Another beautiful weather week in Illinois as we transition from summer to fall. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low 60s to low 70s, between 1 and 7 degrees below normal.
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Although we didn’t see nighttime lows dip into the 30s yet, we did get 40 degrees in Stockton and 42 in Monmouth. The cool end to summer was welcome after an extremely hot and humid season.…

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Illinois Crop Update – September 12, 2025

  • September 12, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Moderately Dry (soil is dry, plants may be browning or stressed, water bodies are low)
Harvest is on the horizon, maturity and drydown will likely be expedited with the return of forecast warmer temperatures. Looking back 150-170 days and evaluating the current growing season, most crop stressors were environmental (dry or drought conditions) or related to plant disease (primarily in the corn crop).…

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Illinois Crop Update – September 5, 2025

  • September 5, 2025

  • Illinois Extension

Steve Brand– Commercial Agriculture Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Condition: Near Normal
Cooler temperatures have arrived this fall (late summer really) as we move through the waiting period of the growing season for corn and soybeans. Temperature averages in the 70s and low 80s have brought much relief after a very hot stretch across Northern IL. Nearly every corner of Illinois north of I-80 is at normal rain and water levels as down state begins to enter into a slight drought,…

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Sep 05 | Weather Update and Markets Review

  • September 5, 2025

  • Todd Gleason

 
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Another beautiful weather week in Illinois as we transition from summer to fall. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low 60s to low 70s, between 1 and 7 degrees below normal. Although we didn’t see nighttime lows dip into the 30s yet, we did get 40 degrees in Stockton and 42 in Monmouth. The cool end to summer was welcome after an extremely hot and humid season.…

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Aug 29 | Weather Update and Market Review

  • August 29, 2025

  • Todd Gleason

 
This weather week reminded me why I love living in central Illinois. Average temperatures this week range from the low 60s in northern Illinois to the mid-70s in southern Illinois, between 2 and 8 degrees below normal. Some of the more impressive nighttime low temperatures this week include 41 in Illinois City and 44 in Springfield. Carbondale reached 45 degrees overnight this week, the lowest August temperature there since 1988. The cool weather has brought August to date temperatures closer to the 30-year normal statewide and is quite a contrast to what has otherwise been an extremely humid summer.…

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