What a difference July rainfall makes. The U.S. Drought Map based on data through July 28 showed that only six percent of Illinois was rated as abnormally dry or with moderate drought, down from nearly 19 percent two weeks earlier. Above-normal rainfall over the past week in the southern half of Illinois will erase at least half that area, and with cooler weather this week, crop stress should be minimal during the first half of August,…
“We are currently working with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to address reports of unsolicited shipments of seeds from foreign countries. Anyone who receives unordered seeds in the mail should contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture by emailing the following information to agr.seeds@Illinois.gov: First and Last Name, Phone Number and the number of packages received. Do not open the package, plant the seeds, or throw them out. Please keep all seeds unopened and with their original packaging and labels,…
We have a new post on the current situation with southern rust in Illinois. Click here to access.…
Recent fronts that have pushed through the state, giving relief to many areas that have been stressed by heat and a lack of water. That’s great for productivity, and also can impact diseases. A new post on the disease outlook and considerations can be found by clicking here.…
Finally some wet weather! That means finally some foliar diseases may start to pop up in our corn crop. Check out the new article by clicking here!…
That was one heck of a storm yesterday. Many fields throughout East central Illinois were severely affected by nickel sized hail. Although my three year old stated that we should, “use some tape” to fix the damaged tissues, some will consider fungicide applications. A new post on the subject can be found here. …
While the record will show that planting progress for both corn and soybean crops in Illinois was close to normal in 2020, heavy rainfall in May and again in early June in some places this year led to some replanting, and some ponded areas don’t have a stand. Stands are mostly good otherwise, but crop condition ratings in Illinois have been mediocre so far, with percent good + excellent percentage in the low 60s for both crops in early July.…
Spider mites often show up when it’s hot and dry outside. Given our current weather (and the promise of more heat to come), it’s a good time to review our scouting and management recommendations. Spider mites feed on a wide variety of plants, and usually enter soybean fields from grassy edges – especially right after the edges have been mowed, which causes the mites to seek out a new food source. (If you have the option,…
Wheat harvest marks the end of one cropping cycle and the beginning of a second. In parts of central and southern Illinois, farmers frequently opt to plant double-crop soybean following wheat harvest, with hopes that the first “killing” frost will be late enough to allow the soybean to reach maturity. Wheat stubble fields not planted with a second crop often become populated with a “crop” of summer annual (and sometimes perennial) weed species. Unlike double-crop soybean,…
We have several articles on the Illinois Field Crop Disease Hub that have some timely information for you. First, a discussion on bacterial leaf streak of corn, which was detected last week in Illinois. Next, part one of our series on corn nematodes. Finally an update on corn tar spot and what to keep in mind with that disease this season.
the articles can be found by clicking this link. If interested,…