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With the exception of a few cool and wet periods in May and some areas of southeastern Illinois that stayed wet and were planted late, the 2016 growing season has been very good so far. The Illinois corn crop was planted a little earlier than normal, stands are excellent, and the crop has had outstanding leaf color throughout the spring and into mid-summer. On July 24, 82% of the crop was rated good or excellent. That matches the late July rating in 2014,…

The 2016 Orr Center field day will be held on Wednesday, July 20, beginning with sign-in and refreshments at 8:00 AM. The format will be new this year, with three UI Extension specialists making presentations in indoor classrooms:

• Weed scientist Aaron Hager will talk about weed management
• Agronomist Emerson Nafziger will discuss crop conditions and nitrogen management
• Ag economist Gary Schnitkey will discuss crop income projections

Indoor sessions will be followed by a short wagon tour to look at crop conditions and some of the research trials underway at the Center.…

In the early morning hours on Wednesday, June 22 a severe storm moved through western Illinois affecting crops throughout much of Henderson, Warren and Mercer Counties, including those at the University of Illinois’ Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center in Monmouth.  Preliminary data collected by instruments maintained by the Illinois Climate Network at the center had the wind gusting to 78.1 mph and more than 1 inch of rain falling in a 10 minute period contributing to the nightly total of 3.34 inches.…

Except for some areas of southeastern Illinois, the 2016 corn crop went in well, and on June 12 was rated at 75% good or excellent. Warm temperatures have speeded up growth, and although below-normal rainfall, especially in western Illinois, is starting to cause some concern, the 2016 corn crop is off to a very good start.
The corn crop this year has excellent stands and there are few drowned-out areas, though there is some unevenness depending on when the crop was planted and how much rain it received after planting.…

Fields days organized in 2016 by Crop Sciences and Extension at the University of Illinois, Western Illinois University, and Southern Illinois University will focus on crops and pests, with speakers talking about current crop issues along with information from previous research. Each event will offer CEUs for CCAs.
Following is the schedule of crop-related field days for 2016, including locations, dates, starting times, and contact information.

• Macomb, WIU: Thursday June 23, 12:00 PM; Mark Bernards (309) 313-5917,

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Corn planting has moved ahead of the 5-year average, with 66% of the Illinois crop planted by May 1. Early planting usually means an early start to nitrogen uptake. But N uptake is slow for a month or more after planting: in one study we did in 2015, plants at the 4-leaf stage about five weeks after planting had only 4 pounds of N per acre in the above-ground part of the plant. So there’s time both to get N applied to the crop before it needs it and also time for N in the soil to move out of the rooting zone if it’s in the nitrate form and the weather turns wet.…

Retired commercial agriculture Extension educator Robert Bellm observed stripe rust yesterday in several wheat fields in Madison County (Figure).
Figure. Stripe rust in winter wheat, Madison County, IL, April 20, 2016 (photo credit: Robert Bellm).
Rust pathogens are obligate parasites, meaning that they need a living host in order to survive. Wind and rain systems from further south bring spores to our area. This is why rust sightings in states to the South can help us in Illinois anticipate its arrival.…

Even though the price of nitrogen fertilizer has dropped some in the past year, the lower price of corn means that decisions about N management need to be made carefully, with an eye towards maximizing the return to this critically important input.
The return of dry weather over the past week and the forecast for the coming week has lessened the concern about N loss, though we still need to consider the possibility that some fall-applied anhydrous ammonia might have moved out of the upper part of the soil.…

The pattern of warmer and wetter than usual weather this past winter has changed some in the past two months, but hopes for a warm, dry, early spring have faded as well. Concerns remain about how much fall-applied N might have been lost and about whether and how this should change how we manage N this spring.
Most Illinois producers waited until soil temperatures had dropped to 50 degrees or less before applying anhydrous ammonia last fall.…