cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Oct 18 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast

  • October 18, 2024

  • Todd Gleason

This week brought some cooler weather just in time for the harvest moon. Temperature this week ranged from the high 40s in northern Illinois to the high 50s in southern Illinois, right around 1 degree of normal. The lack of humidity allowed nighttime temperatures to regularly dip into the 30s, and get below freezing for many places on a couple of nights. Some of the more impressive nighttime lows this week included 25 degrees in Mount Carroll and 27 in Springfield.…

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EPA’s Final Herbicide Strategy for ESA: What Could Change

  • October 16, 2024

  • Aaron Hager, Bill Chism, Chair, WSSA Endangered Species Act Committee

The following description has been endorsed by the Weed Science Society of America
1: What is the Endangered Species Act (ESA)?
The Endangered Species Act is a long-standing federal law, passed in 1973, requiring government agencies to ensure any actions they take do not jeopardize a species that has been federally listed as endangered or threatened. When an agency has proposed a project or an action that might affect a listed species or its habitat,…

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Oct 11 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast

  • October 11, 2024

  • Todd Gleason

October has taken over where September left off, with warm days and cool nights. Average temperatures over the past week ranged from the high 50s in northern Illinois to the mid-60s in southern Illinois, between 1 and 4 degrees above normal. The dryness of the air has been particularly remarkable, with afternoon relative humidity regularly dipping into the teens and low 20s. While the extremely dry air has been comfortable, it has also added to the lack of precipitation and increased the risk of field fires and blowing dust.…

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Weekly Climate Review and Weather Forecast

  • September 27, 2024

  • Todd Gleason

The heat relented this week, and while temperatures were still above average they were much more pleasant. Average temperatures this week ranged from the mid-60s in northern Illinois to the mid-70s in far southern Illinois, between 2 and 6 degrees above average. September to date temperatures have been right around 1 degree above average for most of the state, but as with most Septembers we have seen quite a bit of variability day to day.
We had a bit of a wetter week across much of the state,…

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Illinois Crop Update – September 27, 2024

  • September 27, 2024

  • Illinois Extension

Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
A widespread rainfall event passed through northeast Illinois putting a temporary hold on harvest activities. This pause gives growers the opportunity to visit fields and evaluate combine performance in harvested areas. This is also one of the easiest times to measure harvest populations in corn fields. For 30-inch rows, count the number of plants in 17 feet 5 inches and multiply by 1000 to determine population per acre.…

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Illinois Crop Update – September 20, 2024

  • September 20, 2024

  • Illinois Extension

Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Severely Dry (soil is very dry, water bodies are very low, vegetation is stressed)
The growing season and grain fill is all but over for most and has ended on a dry note. All fields I have visited have been tinder dry. As harvest gets underway, a reminder to check fire extinguishers, and if available, have a tractor hooked to a tillage implement ready to go to help contain a field fire.…

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Crop issues as the 2024 season winds down

  • September 13, 2024

  • Emerson Nafziger, Preza Fontes, Giovani

The 2024 growing season was somewhat unusual in Illinois, with overall conditions good enough to produce record-high corn and soybean yields. The September estimate of corn yield in Illinois is 222 bushels per acre, down three bushels from the August estimate. Soybean yield is projected to be 65 bushels per acre, one bushel less than the August estimate. These declines may reflect the increasing dryness in the state over the past weeks. With early-planted corn and soybean at or near maturity,…

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Illinois Crop Update – September 13, 2024

  • September 13, 2024

  • Illinois Extension

Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Severely Dry (soil is very dry, water bodies are very low, vegetation is stressed)
The 2024 growing season is ending on the dry side in northeast Illinois. Aerial cover crop seed application has started, but limited harvest activity has taken place in the region. I continue to be surprised at the difference in maturity and color of crops across and within fields.…

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Illinois Crop Update – September 6, 2024

  • September 6, 2024

  • Illinois Extension

Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Moderately Dry (soil is dry, plants may be browning or stressed, water bodies are low)
Another dry week.  In travels across northeast Illinois we see both green corn and soy fields, and in others, plants that have browned, dropped leaves and are likely only weeks from harvest. We have had reports of hand shelled corn samples near 30% moisture. For areas that had heavier soils,…

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Keeping a Close Eye on the 2024 Soybean Crop

  • August 30, 2024

  • Emerson Nafziger, Preza Fontes, Giovani

Ratings for the 2024 Illinois soybean crop have been high most of the season, and the August 1 estimate released by NASS is for yield at average 66 bushels per acre. That would be a new record for Illinois, 2 bushels higher than the 2021 yield, and 4.9 bushels higher than the 2024 trendline yield.
While the soybean yield prospects are good, this has been an unusual year, and this lets us watch how the crop’s response to the weather is playing out in the field.…

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