Steve Brand – Commercial Ag Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
This will be a quick report as there is not too much to report since last week. Most fields have emerged in both corn and soy. I’ve seen fields for corn varying from about to emerge to V2 pushing V3. Soybeans are in a similar boat between emerging in fields to 2nd trifoliate.…
The following is a summary of the WILLAg.org content from the work week ending May 22, 2026. WILLAg.org is a partnership of Illinois Public Media and University of Illinois Extension. Its mission is to distribute regionally, nationally, and internationally information and analysis of commodity markets and agricultural weather.
Agricultural Markets Synthesis
The agricultural markets experienced a volatile week marked by risk-on and risk-off trading, heavily influenced by geopolitical news and macroeconomic factors. Curt Kimmel (AgMarket.net) ,…
We had milder weather as we turned the corner in May. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low 60s in northern Illinois to the low 70s in southern Illinois, between 2 and 4 degrees above normal. Despite a bit more warmth this week, low humidity allowed nighttime temperatures to regularly drop into the 40s, including lows of 38 degrees in Decatur and 39 in Barrington. May temperatures to date have been 1 to 3 degrees below average statewide.…
Steve Brand – Commercial Agronomy Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
Overall, planting is close to finished across more of northern Illinois. Field work over the last 2 weeks has been non-stop, and most fields I saw were either planted or just beginning to emerge, whether that was corn or soybeans. After a wild and wet April, May has been very dry and unusually cool,…
The following is a summary of the WILLAg.org content from the work week ending May 15, 2026.
Agricultural Markets Weekly Synthesis
Throughout the week, the agricultural markets were heavily influenced by the USDA WASDE report, macroeconomic indicators, geopolitical trade developments, and the shifting positions of commodity funds. Early in the week, Curt Kimmel emphasized the significant influence of commodity funds, which held massive net-long positions, and noted that robust global demand was required to push new crop corn above $5 and soybeans above $12.…
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Spring weather extended yet another week with average temperatures from the low 50s in northern Illinois to low 60s in southern Illinois, between 3 and 8 degrees below normal. While most places stayed above freezing overnight this week, we did wake up to temperatures in the 30s and heavy frost, including lows of 33 degrees in Dixon and in Rockford. The cooler start to May is quite a contrast to what ended up being the warmest April on record statewide last month.…
Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Near Normal
A favorable week for field work in the region. Many corn and soy fields were planted, and operations continue in the area. Earlier planted corn appears to be emerging with a slight advantage to soy. This week we will be starting the aphid suction collection trap in Morris, part of the Suction Trap Network that will be monitored through October.…
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April ended with temperatures averaging 4 to 8 degrees above normal in Illinois, and despite several rainfall events across the state, planting progress continued to advance. Conditions have generally allowed for steady fieldwork, with USDA-NASS reporting 3.5 to 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork during each of the last four weeks, which has been enough to get a lot of planting done.
The first week of May,…
The following is a summary of the WILLAg.org radio broadcast content from the work week ending May 8, 2026.
Agricultural Markets Weekly Synthesis
Throughout the week, agricultural markets experienced significant volatility driven by fluctuating crude oil prices, geopolitical tensions, and the anticipation of upcoming governmental reports and international summits. Early in the week, Curt Kimmel reported that commodity funds aggressively bought contracts, pushing soybeans higher due to a risk premium returning to crude oil amidst Middle East tensions.…
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.…