cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Steve Brand– Commercial Agriculture Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Condition: Near Normal
After a wet couple of weeks up north we are all but back to normal precipitation levels for the season. Most areas across northern IL saw anywhere from 1-4 inches of rain depending on how many storms hit over the past weekend and have primed plants to finish strong through ear and pod fill. Disease has become much more prevalent as the rain has opened up and temperatures have dropped from the 90s.…

Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
This week Dr. Giovani Preza Fontes, assistant professor and Agronomy Extension Specialist from the University of Illinois visited the Grundy-Kendall County area and met with area producers where he shared expectations of both state and local yields. Farmers were provided with recent weather data and were encouraged to take kernel and population counts to determine yield estimates in their own fields.…

Steve Brand – Commercial Agriculture Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Near Normal
Conditions over the past 2 weeks have reverted back to being dry with temperatures in the upper 80’s to low 90’s. The corn and soybeans have been progressing very quickly with the increased Growth Degree Units and just enough moisture. As we look at the drought map most of Northern IL remains in the D0 drought with a small area south of Chicago in a D1.…

Emily Hansen – Commercial Agriculture Educator
LaSalle County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Wet (soil is wetter than normal, local vegetation is healthy)
The heat and humidity has finally broken today after what feels like a very miserable few weeks. Over the past week rainfall in LaSalle, Bureau, Marshall, and Putnam counties has been sporadic, with some areas seeing nearly 6 inches and others seeing less than an inch. Crops in areas that received less rainfall are still looking a little heat stressed.…