cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

The following is a summary of the WILLAg.org content from the work week ending July 24, 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
The agricultural commodity markets experienced strong upward momentum and heightened volatility throughout the week, with November soybean futures making new contract highs above $12.50 and December corn approaching the $4.90 to $5.00 resistance levels.…

Southern rust of corn, caused by the fungus Puccinia polysora, has now been confirmed in Illinois for the 2026 growing season. The first report was received on July 23 from Williamson County in southern Illinois.
This confirmation indicates that southern rust spores have reached the state and that corn growers and agronomists should begin scouting, particularly in fields with susceptible hybrids that have not yet reached the later reproductive stages. The disease can develop rapidly under warm,…

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.…