cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Steve Brand – Commercial Ag Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Wet (soil is wetter than normal, local vegetation is healthy)
Quick synopsis of conditions that will appear in the main feed
After yet another heat wave, we finally received some reprieve with some consistent rain and cooler temperatures. We were briefly entering a drought across most of the region but have come back to normal after this past weekend’s rain.
Most corn fields I saw are between R3 (Milk) and R4 (Dough).…

Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Near Normal
This past week saw hail, substantial rain, and missed opportunities for needed precipitation in varying fields across the northeast region of Illinois. Corn has reached R3 or the milk stage in the field I have been scouting this summer. At this stage the kernel no longer adds new cells to the kernel endosperm but fills the existing cells with liquid starch.…

Southern rust of corn, caused by the fungus Puccinia polysora, has now been confirmed in Illinois for the 2026 growing season. The first report was received on July 23 from Williamson County in southern Illinois.
This confirmation indicates that southern rust spores have reached the state and that corn growers and agronomists should begin scouting, particularly in fields with susceptible hybrids that have not yet reached the later reproductive stages. The disease can develop rapidly under warm,…

Steve Brand – Commercial Ag Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
After a busy July, I am back with another crop report. We are coming out of a very significant heat wave. Northern Illinois is entering a mild drought with little to no rain in the foreseeable future, and the Canadian wildfires smoked most of us in Northern Illinois out for the tail end of the week and well into the weekend.…

Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Specialist
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Near Normal
A favorable week for crop growth in the northeast region of Illinois. Corn is pollinating, despite predicted 90 degrees plus highs this week, most fields have adequate moisture and should not suffer despite elevated temperatures at this critical stage for the corn crop. I enjoy my early morning coffee looking across several corn and soy fields. This past week I noted most mornings start with a mist or fog.…