cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Kathryn Seebruck – Commercial Agriculture Educator
Stephenson County
Soil Conditions: Mildly Wet (soil is wetter than normal, local vegetation is healthy)
Field work and planting have been ongoing once fields dried enough following the significant rainfall events experienced in the area in mid-April. Although two weeks ago we experienced a number of uncharacteristically warm days, the weather this week continues to vary as some days have been relatively warm, but many nights have been relatively cool,…

Each year, we conduct field evaluations, surveys, and other projects that have direct implications for pest management decisions made by Illinois farmers. For example, we conduct third-party evaluations of many of the insecticides and biotech traits available for corn rootworm control every season. Our annual report summarizes these findings for farmers, crop advisors, and others who have a stake in control decision-making. The 2025 report (along with previous reports dating back to 2018) can be found at the following link: https://go.illinois.edu/pestmanagementresearchreport.…

The following is a summary of the WILLAg.org content from the work week ending May 1, 2026.
Global Tensions, Speculative Buying, and Weather Concerns Drive Ag Markets
The agricultural commodity markets were heavily influenced by geopolitical tensions, speculative fund buying, and domestic weather concerns. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its impact on energy prices and fertilizer availability provided underlying support for feed grains. Crude oil prices climbing over $100 a barrel made ethanol more attractive,…

by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Well, the last week of April was much like the month as a whole. Average temperature ranged from the mid-50s in northern Illinois to high 60s in southern Illinois, between 5 and 10 degrees above average. The month as a whole ended between 4 and 8 degrees above average, likely making April a top 5 warmest on record statewide. With that said, clear skies on a few nights allowed early morning temperatures to regularly dip into the 30s this week,…