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Apr 11 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast

  • April 11, 2025
  • Todd Gleason

We had a bit of a calmer weather week as we settled into April. Average temperatures this week ranged from the high 30s to the mid-50s, between 2 and 5 degrees below normal. April to date has been 1 to 4 degrees cooler than normal as well, following a top 10 warmest March on record statewide. In fact, last month was the warmest March in Illinois since 2012.

We’ve gotten a better picture of the precipitation and flooding across southern Illinois from last week’s storms.…

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Have we missed the best planting window for 2025?

  • April 3, 2025
  • Giovani Preza Fontes, Emerson Nafziger

You can also read the article in Portuguese and Spanish
The month of March in Illinois was 4-5 degrees warmer and 1-2 inches lower in precipitation than normal. At Champaign, 170 growing degree days (GDD) accumulated in March, and less than 2 inches of rain fell from March 10 through the end of the month. The dry weather had fields in some places dry enough to work and plant around the middle of March,…

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Apr 04 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast

  • April 3, 2025
  • Todd Gleason

The transition from March to April brought very active weather in Illinois. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low 40s in northern Illinois to the low 60s in southern Illinois, between 2 and 8 degrees above normal. March ended between 2 and 4 degrees warmer than normal as well, which helped accelerate bloom and leafoutacross the state.
The big story this week, though, was the active storm track that brought multiple rounds – and multiple types – of severe weather across the state.…

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Cooperators Still Needed for Spring Insect Trapping

  • April 2, 2025
  • Kelly Estes

Insect trapping season is here!  We are still looking for cooperators to monitor both black cutworm and true armyworm traps in April and May. These early spring storms have already brought black cutworm moths north. We’d love to get some more traps out and are especially needing cooperators in southern and northern Illinois. Traps and lures are provided.

Requirements for trapping:

  • Set up traps provided.
  • Check traps regularly. Ideally, we’d like traps to be checked every other day to help accurately identify significant moth flights,

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Mar 27 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast

  • March 28, 2025
  • Todd Gleason

Our last full week of March had very March-like weather, with average temperatures ranging from the high 30s in far northern Illinois to the low 50s in far southern Illinois, right around normal for this time of the year. March to date average temperatures have been 3 to 6 degrees warmer than normal; a top 10 warmest March on record so far for much of northern Illinois.
Another round of storms brought modest precipitation totals across the state this week,…

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Mar 21 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast

  • March 21, 2025
  • Todd Gleason

The first week of March and climatological spring was decidedly spring-like. Average temperatures ranged from the mid-30s in northern Illinois to the high 40s in southern Illinois, between 3 and 8 degrees above normal. High temperatures reached into the 60s and 70s early in the week before crashing back to the 30s and 40s. February ended 2 to 4 degrees below normal statewide, wrapping up a climatological winter season that was within 1 degree of normal statewide.…

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Soybean and Corn Management in Illinois (2025)

  • March 17, 2025
  • Giovani Preza Fontes

Illinois Extension has released two updated publications on corn and soybean management in Illinois.
These publications offer guidance to assist producers, crop consultants, and agronomists on how to manage Illinois corn and soybean crops in the most efficient and profitable manner. The recommendations provide guidelines and should be adjusted to suit the specific conditions of each producer’s cropping systems.
The publications are designed as a quick reference and provide research-based, current information on:

  • Variety/hybrid selection
  • Planting practices
  • Nutrient management
  • Weed management
  • Insect management
  • Disease management

The publications can be found linked on the Illinois Extension Crops website under Publications/Fact Sheets,…

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2025 All Day Ag Outlook Conference Audio

  • March 8, 2025
  • Todd Gleason

Here you will find links to the presentations made during the March 4, 2025 All Day Ag Outlook held at the Beef House in Covington, Indiana. It included members of the University of Illinois farmdoc team, on air analysts with WILLAg.org, and others.
click to hear the presentations from the March 4, 2025 conference

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A Reminder about 2,4-D Formulations

  • March 7, 2025
  • Aaron Hager

This is reminder that the only two labeled formulations of 2,4-D that can be applied postemergence in 2,4-D-resistant soybean varieties are Enlist One and Enlist Duo. No other salt formulations and no ester formulations can be applied postemergence to these varieties. Ester formulations are more volatile than salt formulations and volatility can increase with the warmer air and soil temperatures that typically occur when postemergence applications are made. A bill to ban the sale and application of 2,4-D ester formulations has been introduced in the Illinois legislature multiple times;…

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Mar 07 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast

  • March 7, 2025
  • Todd Gleason

The first week of March and climatological spring was decidedly spring-like. Average temperatures ranged from the mid-30s in northern Illinois to the high 40s in southern Illinois, between 3 and 8 degrees above normal. High temperatures reached into the 60s and 70s early in the week before crashing back to the 30s and 40s. February ended 2 to 4 degrees below normal statewide, wrapping up a climatological winter season that was within 1 degree of normal statewide.…

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