by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS, PRI, University of Illinois
We had quite a busy weather week. Average temperatures range from the low 50s in northern Illinois to the mid-70s in southern Illinois, between 1 and 4 degrees above normal. Nighttime low temperatures regularly dipped into the 40s statewide and even got down to the high 30s in places like Waukegan and McHenry. May average temperatures to date have been within 1 degree of normal statewide.…
Emily Hansen – Commercial Agriculture Educator
LaSalle County
Soil Conditions: Moderately Wet (soil is damp, standing water may be present in low areas, water bodies are full)
It has been a wet and chilly week following the hot, dry weather last week. LaSalle County saw nearly 5 inches of rainfall, which has led to ponding in some of the more low-lying areas of fields. Nearly all corn acres are planted, with most corn around stage V1-V2.…
Event Date: May 23, 2025
Event Time: 3:00 – 6:00 PM
Location: Riggs Beer Company
1901 South High Cross Rd. Urbana, IL
Join us for a mix of learning and happy hour at Riggs Beer Company located at 1901 South High Cross Rd. Urbana, IL. This event is for anyone curious about small grains, including wheat, barley, rye, triticale, oats, and kernza. Demonstration plots are located on-site next to the brewery. The small grains breeder from Virginia will be joining us as a special guest to talk about barley varieties adapted to Illinois.…
The second full week in May brought summer heat to the Midwest. Average temperatures this week ranged from the high 50s in northern Illinois to the low 70s in southern Illinois, between 2 and 8 degrees above normal. Significant early season heat late in the week was noteworthy, as temperatures reached into the low to mid 90s statewide. Combined with high humidity, heat index values approached the triple digits. Thursday’s high of 93 degrees broke the previous May 15th record at O’Hare Airport,…
Steve Brand – Commercial Agriculture Specialist
Stephenson County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
Scouting was done in Stephenson County. Overall, the field conditions are very dry with May only bringing 1.1″ across the area so far. Temperatures have been in the upper 70s and low 80s this week with lows in the upper 40s and 50s. There are some potential rain events coming in the next week to add some moisture back into the soil.…
A potential scenario encountered each growing season is corn planted in fields where no soil-residual herbicide was applied. If the corn has not yet emerged, the soil-residual herbicide can be applied as originally planned. But, what if the corn has emerged and the soil-residual herbicide has not been applied? Can the application proceed as planned, or will a different product need to be selected? The answer depends on the respective herbicide.
Most, but not all, soil residual herbicides can be applied after corn has emerged.…
Kathryn Seebruck – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Ogle County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
Northwestern Illinois is in the home stretch of planting. I’ve been able to row quite a few corn fields, and beans have been reported as being up and out of the ground or just about. There are few fields that have yet to be planted.
Weeds such as giant ragweed and common lambsquarters are present in fields I’ve been in,…
The final week of April acted much like the rest of the month, with warm and wet weather pretty much statewide. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low 50s in northern Illinois to the mid-60s in southern Illinois, between 3 and 6 degrees above normal. The entire month of April ended around 0.5 degree warmer than normal statewide.
A continued active storm track brought multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms this week. 7-day totals ranged from around a half inch in parts of western Illinois to over 4 inches near the Metro East area.…
Utilization of soil-applied herbicides in corn and soybean production systems continues to be a common method to achieve weed control. Early preplant, preplant incorporated, and preemergence surface are the most common types of herbicide applications to soil. Regardless of when the herbicide was applied to the soil, the effectiveness of soil-applied herbicides is governed by several factors.
The primary factor which governs the efficacy of soil-applied herbicides is having the herbicide available for uptake by the germinating weed seedling.…
The weed science program at the University of Illinois invites all weed management practitioners to our annual weed science field tour on Wednesday, June 25, 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.…