cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Steve Brand – Commercial Ag Specialist
DeKalb County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed)
After a busy July, I am back with another crop report. We are coming out of a very significant heat wave. Northern Illinois is entering a mild drought with little to no rain in the foreseeable future, and the Canadian wildfires smoked most of us in Northern Illinois out for the tail end of the week and well into the weekend.…

The following is a summary of the WILLAg.org content from the work week ending July 17, 2026. WILLAg.org is a partnership of Illinois Public Media and University of Illinois Extension. Its mission is to distribute regionally, nationally, and internationally information and analysis of commodity markets and agricultural weather.
Agricultural Markets Synthesis
Geopolitical disruptions in the Black Sea region and escalating conflicts in the Middle East emerged as the dominant market drivers, introducing a notable risk premium that overshadowed traditional domestic weather factors.…

by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Temperatures moderated a little this week as wind patterns shifted. Average temperatures were in the mid-70s statewide, 2 to 4 degrees above average in northern Illinois, and right at the average in southern Illinois. High temperatures regularly reached into the upper 80s and low 90s, with a few places pushing over the 95-degree mark including 96 in Chicago and Quincy. The first half of July was 2 to 4 degrees warmer than average statewide,…

Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Specialist
Grundy County
Soil Conditions: Near Normal
A favorable week for crop growth in the northeast region of Illinois. Corn is pollinating, despite predicted 90 degrees plus highs this week, most fields have adequate moisture and should not suffer despite elevated temperatures at this critical stage for the corn crop. I enjoy my early morning coffee looking across several corn and soy fields. This past week I noted most mornings start with a mist or fog.…