cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Steve Brand – Commercial Ag Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Near Normal
Cooler and wet conditions have moved in across northern Illinois. Light rain and heavy morning dews have propagated some late season disease in both corn and soybeans as we start to enter wide-scale senescence and harvest.
Soybeans in McHenry and DeKalb counties are producing large amounts of pods, as well as filling those pods very well. I expect many soybean fields to have high yields.…

Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Near Normal
Entering September an intense shift in weather as a “heat dome” became established in Northeast Illinois. While fields near the Wisconsin state line received precipitation, most areas did not. The ninety degrees plus days provided ample Growing Degree Days (GDDs) for crops finishing grain fill. On lighter soils the temperatures are causing a water deficit reflected by the wilting/yellowing plants.…

Steve Brand – Commercial Agriculture Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
We have caught a very nice break from severe weather and storms, with some pleasant temperatures to boot, as we begin to enter the home stretch of the growing season. Corn fields across northern Illinois are starting to fire, while soybean fields continue to stay green and produce large pods and seeds.…

You can also read the article in Portuguese and Spanish
Weather and crop condition
Planting and emergence of the 2026 Illinois corn crop began a little earlier than normal, and overall average temperatures this summer have kept crop development near a normal pace (Figure 1). Rainfall and temperature fluctuations in late April and early May resulted in uneven emergence and stands in some fields, while repeated rainfall events during June caused flooding and prolonged periods of saturated soils across much of the state.…

Steve Brand – Commercial Ag Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Wet (soil is wetter than normal, local vegetation is healthy)
The heavy storms and even a derecho have passed, and we have been left with some gorgeous weather to end the week before some more rain chances next week. Not too many updates agronomically from my last update. Corn has moved into R5 dent across northern Illinois, with many fields at the early stages of senescence.…