Russ Higgins – Extension Commercial Ag Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
It’s hot! Temperatures exceeding 90 degrees for consecutive days in NE Illinois. Despite the ambient temperature, both corn and soy fields are holding up well, but additional rainfall would be welcomed. Most corn fields are at or near R3, the milk stage. Some ears have visible aborted kernels at the ear tip.…
We invite you to engage in our University of Illinois Extension strategic planning process that will continue into the 2024 calendar year.
As part of our efforts, we have created a survey that focuses on supporting Phases 1 and 2 of the planning process: 1) Assessing Our Current State and Engaging Stakeholders, and 2) Developing Our Vision and Strategic Priorities. We welcome and greatly appreciate your participation in completing the survey.
All submissions should be submitted via the online survey,…
*Edited July 24, 2023 to include report from R. Higgins.
Russ Higgins – Extension Commercial Ag Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
Wheat harvest has mostly wrapped up in NE Illinois. This week, fungicide applications started in earnest, and I observed fields sprayed by plane, helicopter, ground rigs and a drone! Many growers simply include a fungicide application in their management plan;…
Russ Higgins – Extension Commercial Ag Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Wet (soil is wetter than normal, local vegetation is healthy)
Another week with precipitation; July has been much more favorable than June for northeast Illinois crops. Even with the rain, some no-till soy fields are noticeably lagging in growth behind tilled fields in our area, especially on lighter ground. Those scouting fields have an opportunity to evaluate their post herbicide applications.…
Nearly all of Illinois received rainfall in the late June and early July, with amounts of 2 to 5 inches across a large part of the state (Figure 1). There is more variability than the map shows – for example, only 1.67 inches fell at Willard Airport near Champaign, not the 2.5-3” indicated on the map. But there is no doubt that the rain boosted crop prospects for 2023, and reversed the month-long decline in crop condition.…
Welcome to 5-Minute Farmdoc, your go-to channel for insightful discussions on various topics related to agriculture. In today’s episode, we delve into the world of crop insurance and explore a recent proposal discussed by our colleagues from North Dakota. They suggest a change to the subsidy mechanism that assists farmers in covering the costs of crop insurance policies. This proposal aims to cap the farmer’s premium costs at 4% of the policy’s liability,…
Russ Higgins – Extension Commercial Ag Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Moderately Dry (soil is dry, plants may be browning or stressed, water bodies are low)
Some fortunate NE farms received up to an inch of rain this past week. The rainfall helped our soy crop initiate new trifoliates, improving field aesthetics by hiding leaves present when post-herbicides were applied, giving some fields a “dinged” appearance. While recent rainfall was welcomed, signs of a very dry early vegetative season,…
Russ Higgins – Extension Commercial Ag Educator
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Severely Dry (soil is very dry, water bodies are very low, vegetation is stressed)
Another week without a hint of precipitation in most of NE Illinois; soy has basically stopped growing and corn fields are struggling to canopy between rows. My thermometer is registering 99 degrees this afternoon. I truly hope to share a different story next week. There is concern on how long these crops can hang on before suffering significant yield consequences.…
The first two months of the 2023 growing season have been much like the first two months of the 2022 growing season, with a few key differences. The 2023 crop was planted earlier and into somewhat drier soils – some producers actually waited to plant during part of the second half of April until the weather warmed up. By May 7, 73% of the corn and 66% of the soybean had been planted, compared to the 14% for corn and 10% for soybean from May 7,…
Nearly all herbicide labels (soil-applied or postemergence) have rotational crop intervals that specify the amount of time that must elapse between herbicide application and planting a rotational crop. This becomes particularly important with late-season herbicide applications, and when soil moisture is limited. Additionally, the labels of almost all postemergence soybean herbicides indicate a preharvest interval or a soybean developmental stage beyond which applications cannot be made. Labels of some products may indicate both a developmental stage (before soybean bloom,…