cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Evaluating soybean performance in conservation systems – project report

  • February 4, 2026

  • Giovani Preza Fontes, Federico Rolle, John Jones

You can also read the article in Portuguese and Spanish
Introduction
Recent dust storm events in central Illinois and across the Midwest have renewed attention on soil conservation, especially after the tragic May 2023 event near Springfield that caused an 80-vehicle pileup, eight fatalities, and dozens of injuries. These incidents highlight that soil loss is not only an agronomic issue but also a public safety and environmental concern. Reduced tillage and cover crops are well-established practices to reduce wind and water erosion,…

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Jan 23 | Weather Update and Market Review

  • January 23, 2026

  • Todd Gleason

Winter has come back with a vengeance after a temporary pause. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low teens in northern Illinois to the mid-20s in southern Illinois, between 4 and 8 degrees below normal statewide. Nighttime low temperatures this week regularly dipped into the single digits, if not below zero, including -5 degrees in Rockford and -2 in Aurora. The wind was also a factor, pushing wind chill values close to -20 on a few days.…

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Jan 16 | Weather Update and Market Review

  • January 16, 2026

  • Todd Gleason

The second week of the year brought a fleeting taste of spring, with average temperatures between the mid-30s to upper 40s; 8 to 12 degrees above normal. Some of the more impressive daytime high temperatures this week included 69 in Kaskaskia and 68 in Carbondale. January to date has been 7 to 12 degrees above normal statewide, and has been a top 10 warmest first half of January on record in most parts of the state.…

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Double-crop Soybean Management Practices – Project Report

  • January 13, 2026

  • Giovani Preza Fontes

You can also read the article in Portuguese and Spanish
Introduction
There is a growing interest in wheat/soybean double-cropping systems in Illinois, extending into parts of central Illinois where wheat acreage has been limited in recent decades. USDA-NASS survey estimates that 60-80% of Illinois wheat acres are double-cropped with soybeans. Implementing this system in central and northern Illinois has been constrained primarily by low wheat acreage and by later wheat harvest, which often delays soybean planting until early to mid-July.…

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Glufosinate-Resistant Waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) Confirmed in Illinois

  • January 9, 2026

  • Aaron Hager

Weed scientists at the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University Carbondale recently announced the confirmation of glufosinate resistance in Illinois waterhemp populations. Glufosinate is a non-selective herbicide most commonly applied postemergence in Illinois corn and soybean crops engineered with resistance to the herbicide. Use of glufosinate has increased over the past decade as the efficacy of other postemergence herbicides against waterhemp has been compromised through the evolution of resistance. This confirmation marks the first time that herbicides from all site-of-action groups previously effective for postemergence control of Illinois waterhemp have instances of resistance;…

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Jan 08 | Weather Update and Market Review

  • January 9, 2026

  • Todd Gleason

Happy new year! For the first summary of 2026, we’ll take a quick look back at December and the weather year of 2025, and then look forward to the rest of winter and a bit of spring.
December was around 2.5 degrees colder than normal statewide, which was quite a contrast to a very warm fall season. However, the average temperature in December doesn’t tell the story of its huge temperature swings. Much of the state had temperatures that were 20 to 30 degrees below normal in the middle of the month,…

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Alfalfa insect management survey & insecticide resistance screening

  • January 5, 2026

  • Nick Seiter

If you have found yourself dealing with alfalfa weevil more often in the last few years, you are not alone. Reports of large populations and control failures have seemingly increased in recent years, not just in Illinois but throughout the Midwest. Alfalfa weevil populations resistant to pyrethroid insecticides were confirmed in the western U.S. several years ago, and there are some indications we might be seeing this in the Midwest as well. In Illinois specifically, it has been several years since our management recommendations in alfalfa have been revisited – we want to make sure these recommendations reflect the current situation.…

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Dec 19 | Weather Update and Market Review

  • December 19, 2025

  • Todd Gleason

Temperatures this week were all over the place, but the average temperatures ended 7 to 15 degrees colder than normal across the state. December to date has also been 7 to 14 degrees colder than normal, making it a top 10 coldest start to December on record in most places, including the 6th coldest on record in Bloomington-Normal.
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Extremely cold air settled in on Sunday night,…

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Asian copperleaf identified in Illinois

  • December 5, 2025

  • Aaron Hager

The genus Acalypha includes approximately 450 species that are mostly of tropical and temperate origin. Approximately five species are native to Illinois, although most are not considered weeds of Illinois agronomic cropping systems. One species previously known to grow in corn and soybean fields is hophornbeam copperleaf (Acalypha ostryifolia), but due to its later emergence characteristic it rarely results in crop yield loss. Other Illinois species in this genus that usually are found in non-crop areas include the common Virginia copperleaf (Acalypha virginica) and rhomboid mercury (Acalypha rhomboidea),…

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Dec 05 | Weather Review and Market Update

  • December 5, 2025

  • Todd Gleason

CLIMATE REVIEW & WEATHER FORECAST
This week marked the start of climatological winter, both by the calendar and by the weather. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low 20s in northern Illinois to the low 30s in southern Illinois, between 8 and 12 degrees below average. Most places in the state saw nighttime low temperatures dip into the teens and single digits, with some very impressive lows like -7 in Lincoln and -6 in Moline.…

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