As the 2019 calendar year comes to an end, in many soybean regions, Illinois harvest still has a way to go. The below chart was sourced from the Nov. 10, 2019 USDA report and it shows harvest progress for Illinois and the surrounding states. In some fields, soybeans aren’t drying much, and with the cold front we’ve been experiencing, there’s little to no hope that additional moisture will be pulled out of the crop.  A lot of growers are trying to decide how to manage what’s left in the fields. It’s important to spend any allowable time to harvest the soybeans because pods will start to shatter (if they haven’t already) and harvest will be more challenging for soybeans than corn if winter weather continues.

Based off the most recent report, Illinois Soybean producers have harvested about 18% of the total crop since October 27, 2019. Even though Illinois is at 87% harvested, it’s still about 4% behind the five year average (2014-2018). Illinois seems to be close to Iowa (87%) and Indiana (88%), however still ahead of Wisconsin (71%) and Missouri (72%) progress. The report also showed that Illinois corn harvest is at 71%, 22% behind the five year average of 93%

It’s important to stay current on what’s going on in the major corn- and soybean- producing states. This information can greatly impact the supply and demand, which can help producers make timely marketing decisions. The full USDA report can be viewed online here: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/National_Crop_Progress.