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Plant Clinic Update – May 2025

  • May 30, 2025
  • Diane Plewa, Esneider Mahecha

The University of Illinois Plant Clinic is an Extension program located in the Department of Crop Sciences. For more information, please see our website: https://extension.illinois.edu/plant-clinic or contact us at 217-333-0519.
 
Wheat Samples: We have received 3 wheat samples so far in 2025, all from southern Illinois. Bacterial leaf streak, Septoria leaf blotch, and thrips were found on the samples from Marion County, while anthracnose, Fusarium head blight, Septoria leaf blotch, stripe rust, and thrips were found on the sample from Jackson County.…

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Illinois Crop Update – May 30, 2025

  • May 30, 2025
  • Illinois Extension

Kathryn Seebruck – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Stephenson County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Wet (soil is wetter than normal, local vegetation is healthy)
Across the county, corn is between VE and about V4 while soybeans are yet to emerge or at about V1. The rainfall received over the past couple weeks has been well received – the crop looks healthy and green. Surprisingly given the rain, there aren’t yet any significant weed flushes, but scouting is recommended to identify any moving forward.…

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May 23 | Markets and Weather Update

  • May 23, 2025
  • Todd Gleason

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.…

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Illinois Crop Update – May 23, 2025

  • May 23, 2025
  • Illinois Extension

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.…

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Small Grains Field Fest Friday @ Riggs Beer

  • May 20, 2025
  • Todd Gleason

Small grains field fest invite on blue background with orange and white accents.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.…

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May 16 | Weekly Markets and Climate Review

  • May 16, 2025
  • Todd Gleason

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,…

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Illinois Crop Update – May 16, 2025

  • May 16, 2025
  • Illinois Extension

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.…

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Soil-Residual Herbicides Applied to Emerged Corn

  • May 15, 2025
  • Aaron Hager

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.…

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Illinois Crop Update – May 9, 2025

  • May 9, 2025
  • Illinois Extension

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,…

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May 02 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast

  • May 2, 2025
  • Todd Gleason

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.…

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