Well…How’d You Do?
As IL Soy Envoy Craig Grafton monitors the development of this year's crop and reflects on the recent planting season, he emphasizes the importance of evaluating successes and areas for improvement. In this blog post, he shares his approach to planting and assessing plots as the season unfolds.
Crop/Livestock Integration In Practice: Farms Share Their Experiences
During this field day in Iroquois County, the integration of crops and livestock will be showcased, highlighting the grazing of crop residues, cover crops, and annual forages. Host farmers will demonstrate how livestock integration operates on their farms and discuss its benefits for both soil health and the balance sheet.
Understanding the Crop Injury Risks of PRE Herbicides in Early-Planted Soybeans
As farmers continue to plant soybeans earlier, there are concerns about preemergence (PRE) herbicide injury to emerging seedlings. Supported by the Illinois Soybean Association, the University of Illinois Crop Sciences department is evaluating different PRE herbicides on early-planted soybeans to give farmers access to crop injury ratings for better weed management decisions.
Does Late Planting Mean Delayed Yields?
The 2024 planting season has been marked by significant variability, especially in planting dates. This raises the question: should soybean fields planted in mid-May be managed like those planted in April? According to IL Soy Envoy Drew Beckman, the answer is yes, and he provides reasoning in his latest blog.
Monitoring Root Development and Planning for Fungicide
Crop conditions across the state remain highly variable, and the IL Soy Envoys share their regional updates. This episode also covers wheat harvest, root establishment issues, slug damage, crops in the "ugly duckling" phase, herbicide misapplications, and notes for fungicide season.
“Way Too Early” Soybean Yield Predictions
In the latest podcast episode, the Soy Envoys share challenges posed by highly variable crop conditions, including yellowing in fields, persistent waterhemp problems, and root development issues. They also share their "way too early" soybean yield predictions and offer a detailed crop report from their region.
Rain Makes Grain??
Overall, crop conditions are highly variable across Illinois, with progress and challenges differing by field and location. Some areas are done planting while others are delayed by rainfall and storms. This episode discusses concerns such as hail damage, flash floods, sandblasting, nitrogen deficiency, strong emergence of weeds, and more.
Wet Conditions Delay Planting as Other Regions Race to the Finish
In the latest ILSoyAdvisor podcast, Abigail Peterson, CCA, and Stephanie Porter, CCA, from Illinois Soybean Association discuss the current planting and crop conditions in Illinois. They cover mid-May to June soybean planting recommendations and address the latest issues with weeds, cover crop termination, and pests.
Patience & Planning: Key Preparations for Getting Back to Field Work
With some areas still grappling with rain delays, saturated soils, and a lack of planting progress, IL Soy Envoy Kelly Robertson shares a few thoughts on the tough situation many farmers are facing and offers some advice that might help while they wait to get back into the fields.

