It’s hot! Temperatures exceeding 90 degrees for consecutive days in NE Illinois. Despite the ambient temperature both corn and soy fields are holding up well, but additional rainfall would be welcome. Most corn fields are at or near R3, the milk stage. Some ears have visible aborted kernels at the ear tip. There has been minimal to no leaf disease in corn fields that I have visited, but plan on staying diligent and listening to local reports and regional reporting resources including the Corn ipmPIPE for Tar Spot https://corn.ipmpipe.org/tarspot/ to be aware of areas where crop disease has been detected. The soy crop has responded to recent rains with increases in vegetative growth and most fields are at or near R3 or Beginning pod. When scouting fields, it is still not too late to look for symptomology of herbicide damage in fields.