cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Our warm spring continued this week, as average temperatures ranged from the high 50s in northern Illinois to the mid-60s in southern Illinois, 10 to 15 degrees above normal. The first half of April has been extremely warm, in fact the second warmest start to April on record in Peoria, Springfield, and St. Louis. Our recent warmth has continued a longer trend from March, making this year the warmest start to spring since 2012 statewide.…

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March was wetter than normal across much of Illinois, with statewide precipitation averaging 4.85 inches, 1.91 inches above normal. The wet trend continued into the first two weeks of April, particularly in northern Illinois, which has received between 3 and 5 inches of rainfall since April 1. As a result, field activity has been somewhat limited, with NASS reporting 2.1 and 4.2 days suitable for fieldwork for the weeks ending April 5 and April 12,…

WILLAg.org Radio Programming for the work week ending April 10, 2026
Commodity Markets and Geopolitical Influences
The week in commodity markets was heavily influenced by geopolitical events and energy prices, particularly the ongoing conflict with Iran. Earlier in the week, traders squared positions and moved to the sidelines ahead of a deadline with Iran, while keeping a close watch on crude oil resistance levels. Later, a temporary truce caused crude oil prices to plunge,…

As we prepare for the 2026 Biomass Webinar Series to kick off in July (register here), here is a refresher on the large Iowa switchgrass projects featured in 2025 Biomass Webinar Series.
Urbana, Illinois – In Chariton Valley, Iowa, switchgrass activities are expanding yet again. Nearly twenty years after the Chariton Valley Biomass Project demonstrated how farmers could stabilize their soil and their income using switchgrass to complement coal in power stations,…