Corn and soybeans across the area continue to look healthy, and growing progress remains steady. Many corn fields have been successfully pollinated. Spray planes have also been active the last couple of weeks, with producers putting on fungicides. Soybeans have nearly all flowered, with most also starting to grow pods. Some rain would be welcome, but there does not appear to be a lack of moisture in the soil.

Monday night’s derecho brought significant rainfall to the area. Most parts of Logan, Menard, and Sangamon counties received 1.5 to nearly 3 inches of rain. This rain, combined with the rain received from Hurricane Beryl, caused some low-lying areas to have standing water. Thankfully, there does not appear to be any signs of wind damage. Nearly all of the corn across the three counties has tasseled, and pollination is beginning. Soybeans also look good, almost all in the R2 to R3 stages. Waterhemp continues to be a prevalent issue. Japanese beetles are also present, but damage has yet to reach the economic threshold in the fields I have walked through.

Not much has changed in the way of crop growth across Logan, Menard, and Sangamon counties over the last week. Nearly all of the earlier-planted corn has tasseled, with the rest of the corn crop not too far behind in some areas. Soybean growth remains strong as well. Some insect damage can be found on leaves, but nothing that will affect yields at this moment.

High temperatures have entered the area and are putting pressure on crops in Logan, Menard, and Sangamon counties. While there has not been a major rainfall event for some time, and the topsoil moisture supply is lower, there is still moisture down further in the root zone that is allowing crops to receive water. The forecast shows no break in the heat anytime soon, and chances for rain each day remain in flux. Most of the crops still appear to be healthy and have yet to exhibit signs of heat stress. There are some crops, especially ones in sandier soils, that are beginning to exhibit signs of stress. Not much else has changed in the way of growing conditions across the three counties.

Crop growing conditions remain steady across Logan, Menard, and Sangamon counties. Mild temperatures during the day and cooler evenings have relieved later-planted crops. Weed pressure is also becoming more prevalent in fields planted late, but high winds during the last week have prevented many fields from being sprayed. Nearly all of the first hay cutting is also completed, with most hay fields growing reasonably well. Hot temperatures are expected to come into the area later this week and weekend, so plants will likely experience some stress. Rain is also forecast for Thursday, which could provide some needed topsoil moisture.

Brief rain showers overnight provided some much-appreciated rain for the area. Growing conditions remain steady across Logan, Menard, and Sangamon counties, with planting mostly concluded.

Last week’s high winds and dust storms sidelined many producers in the area. Warmer temperatures and clear skies later in the week allowed most farmers to catch up on or finish planting across Logan, Menard, and Sangamon counties. Rain on Friday (5/24) and Sunday (5/26) provided some moisture for corn and soybeans that have recently emerged. In earlier-planted fields, corn and soybean plants remain in the V2-V3 stages. In the fields that were more recently planted, corn plants are in the VE stage, and soybean plants are in the VC-VE stages.

Conditions across Logan, Menard, and Sangamon counties in the last week have allowed many farmers to catch up on their planting. While there were some small pockets of rain in certain areas, no major accumulations were observed. The last few days have brought a lot of warm weather to the area, and some rain is in the forecast. The crops that have been planted and emerged look healthy. Corn acres that were planted earlier are mostly in the V2-V3 stage, and earlier-planted soybeans are in the V1-V2 stage.

The latter part of last week and weekend saw great conditions for fields to dry up and be suitable for fieldwork. Brief rain showers on Monday and Tuesday, combined with cooler temperatures, have stalled planting progress yet again for many local farmers. Many of the soybeans and corn that have emerged remain in the same growth stage as last week.

Rains over the last few days have prevented farmers from finishing planting their crop acres for 2024. The National Weather Service in Lincoln reported 0.38” of rain in the last 24 hours, and many low spots on fields have standing water. More rain is predicted for 5/7 and 5/8. Much of the soybeans and corn that were planted in mid-April have emerged. Soybeans in the area are in the VE growth stage, while corn in the area is in the VE to V1 growth stage.