A “new” crop to Midwestern agriculture, best management practices (BMPs) and varietal performance of industrial hemp have yet to be determined. Hemp producers are required to grow hemp that contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to comply with state and federal regulations.…
In terms of insect management, we are pretty close to the finish line for corn and soybean in Illinois. However, there has been a late-season onset of bean leaf beetles in soybean in some parts of the state. Pod and seed feeders are one of the last insect pest threats we face in soybean,…
Corn rootworm activity, in general, appears higher in much of Illinois than it has been for the last several years. Along with higher activity, resistance to Bt traits in western and northern corn rootworm remains our top insect management concern in Illinois corn.…
What a difference July rainfall makes. The U.S. Drought Map based on data through July 28 showed that only six percent of Illinois was rated as abnormally dry or with moderate drought, down from nearly 19 percent two weeks earlier. Above-normal rainfall over the past week in the southern half of Illinois will erase at least half that area,…
“We are currently working with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to address reports of unsolicited shipments of seeds from foreign countries. Anyone who receives unordered seeds in the mail should contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture by emailing the following information to agr.seeds@Illinois.gov: First and Last Name,…
We have a new post on the current situation with southern rust in Illinois. Click here to access.…
Recent fronts that have pushed through the state, giving relief to many areas that have been stressed by heat and a lack of water. That’s great for productivity, and also can impact diseases. A new post on the disease outlook and considerations can be found by clicking here.…
Finally some wet weather! That means finally some foliar diseases may start to pop up in our corn crop. Check out the new article by clicking here!…
That was one heck of a storm yesterday. Many fields throughout East central Illinois were severely affected by nickel sized hail. Although my three year old stated that we should, “use some tape” to fix the damaged tissues, some will consider fungicide applications. …
While the record will show that planting progress for both corn and soybean crops in Illinois was close to normal in 2020, heavy rainfall in May and again in early June in some places this year led to some replanting, and some ponded areas don’t have a stand.…
