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CROP REPORT

The Crop Report provides timely and relevant crop and field intel from experts across the state.

GET THE LATEST FIELD AND CROP CONDITIONS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Our ISA Agronomy Team, Soy Envoys, Illinois Extension, and other industry experts are bringing you information you need to manage your soybean, corn and wheat crops. From field conditions to crop progress, disease alerts, and pest sightings, this team has you covered with facts and strategic analysis of all the relevant information that impacts your farm.

To view the latest reports, click your region on the map or scroll down. We are grateful for the experts volunteering to provide this information to help Illinois’ farmers!

REGION FEED

Region 7
09/18/2023, Southern Illinois
Kelly Robertson

Harvest continues to roll along. Some are done and others are about half done. Wheat planting is in full force. Some issues getting N containing P fertilizers like DAP since the river is so low has cause concern. Lots of lime and fall fertilizer going down but little fall tillage yet.

Yield reports are still variable across the region. That being said we are seeing what a timely rain does to yields in some areas. Even thought the amounts of rain were not “high”, a timely rain of a few tenths seems to be making quite a bit of difference in yields. 100-150 bu yield swings where those few tenths fell on corn and 20 bu on beans is not uncommon to hear.

To paint with a broad brush, most yield reports are in the 160-180 range on corn and the 45-60 range on beans. Most everyone reports a fields or fields higher and lower than these numbers.

However, I have got numerous reports of corn in the 60-80 bu range and beans in the 25-40 bu range as well.

 
Region 5
09/15/2023, Champaign
Kris Ehler

#Harvest23 is under way! As suspected the corn yields are coming in 5-7% less than 2022 and on par with elevator tour estimates. 225-230 at 22-26%. Soybeans have been sparse so far with only 2 known fields harvested with and average of 64.
Plant health in corn continues to fade rapidly. A good shower of rain would help even up a large number of soybean acres to cut next week.

 
Region 2
09/15/2023, Woodford
Karen Corrigan

I’ve seen one field of corn in Tazwell County with the end rows taken off. Moisture test in early planted corn in McLean County at 20%. Harvest is slow between Springfield and Jacksonville. Farmers are trying to be patient and allow field drying but it is slow. Many harvesting just enough to stay with drying capacity. Yields 10-30% off normal. Older farmers who have farmed through 1988 are amazed at yields on 10” of rain that mostly came in 2 storms. Input prices for 2024 look better. 2023 will be the first break even year for some younger farmers.

 
Region 6
09/13/2023, Southern Illinois
Kelly Robertson

Harvest has started across most of Southern Illinois. Yields are highly variable.

Corn yield reports running from 130 to 240. High infield variability is also reported and its “normal” to hear of 175 bu yield swings based on soil type. Higher yields are being reported in isolated spots that got timely rain with lower yields also being in isolated spots of no rain. Most report so far that they are at or near their APH on yield. I suspect to see those number drop a bit as harvest moves into the mid May planting date fields. Moisture is running 22-34% out of the field and also in the same field!

Bean yields are again highly variable with yields in the mid 40s to 70 bushel. Again high infield variability is being reported with as much as 50 bu yield swings between soil types.

The soil is to dry and hard for any soil sampling at this point.

 
Region 5
09/09/2023, Champaign
Talon Becker

The corn and soybean crop in northeast Champaign County is continuing to progress towards maturity. Average temperatures have started to decline, but many fields of corn and soybean are either at, or more commonly, approaching physiological maturity. Some later season soybeans are still very green across their canopy, but those fields are generally at or very near R6 (full seed). Approximately 10% of soybean fields I saw in my tour through that portion of the county were in the later stages of R7 (beginning maturity), while most were at R6 (full seed) and early R7. A similar proportion, although probably a bit lower than 10%, of corn fields appeared to be at R6 (physiological maturity/black layer) based on field checks and a windshield survey.

 
Region 2
09/08/2023, United States
Karen Corrigan

Woodford County, IL is currently not on the drought monitor for the week. Most of the rest of Central IL is abnormally dry.
Combines are rolling about an hour south of here. Some fields gave up on life as opposed to maturing.

 
Region 1
09/07/2023, United States
Russ Higgins

Corn is at R5 (dent) and most soy is at R6 (full seed), fields that still have green tissue are benefitting from recent rainfall. Areas that experienced drought conditions after pollination and during grain fill can expect corn kernel abortion near the ear tip and smaller and lighter kernels. This would be a good year to check stalk strength among hybrids and plan field harvest order accordingly. Some encouragement to hand-pull surviving Waterhemp in fields before they produce viable seed. Last week at the Farm Progress Show Dr. Aaron Hager’s team demonstrated Waterhemp samples collected from populations that were resistant to six herbicide modes of action. This includes Group 4, the growth regulators which include 2,4-D and dicamba. It has been an uneventful insect pest year to date; however, Soybean aphids were recently collected in Northeast Illinois by the Suction Trap Network https://suctiontrapnetwork.org/ and Stink bugs are easily found in soy fields I have visited.

 
Region 5
09/06/2023, United States
Doug Gucker

Here in my 3 county area (DeWitt, Macon & Piatt), soybeans are in either R7 – Beginning Maturity or R8 – Full Maturity stage. All corn fields are in the Dent or R5 stage with many fields in the R6 – Physiological Maturity. A few farmers have started to harvest mature early corn varieties. Noting grasshopper feeding damage on field edges (see photo). Areas of local fields where corn was stressed during grain fill are showing signs of stalk quality issues and lodging. It might be worth your time to check stalk quality in corn fields to prevent lodging losses.

 
Region 4
09/05/2023, Montgomery
Stephanie Porter

After the recent heat, it appears that most crops have turned quickly over night. Early April planted corn is almost to black layer and early April plants soybeans are turning. Harvest will be here soon. Be sure to check corn stalk quality to know which fields to harvest first.

 
Region 5
09/01/2023, Champaign
Talon Becker

Both corn and soy crops in western Champaign County are getting closer to maturity, as leaf senescence has started in several fields in that area. Corn fields I surveyed were all at mid to late R5 (dent) stages. Yields look to be somewhat variable, with a few fields having some consistently large ears and minimal tipback, while others were more affected by the droughty conditions of the season and/or weed pressure issues and will probably result in yields slightly below an expected trendline average for the county. Several soybean fields are also starting to show leaf senescence, with most at R6 (full seed) and some fields with a few plants edging into R7 (beginning maturity).