We have had a bit of a mini heat wave here in the middle of September, as temperatures returned to near normal compared to the previous two weeks of cooler weather. The warmer temperatures are helping the corn and soybeans progress through maturity, as we are a bit behind the rest of the state, harvest- and maturity-wise. As the rest of the state enters more substantial droughts, areas north of I-80 are still within normal rainfall, with a small pocket near Evanston entering another early drought phase. With little rain in the forecast, I don’t expect many delays with dry down and senescence. Some windy days would help greatly as well.

Disease has emerged in fields due to the cooler temperatures and heavy dews in prior weeks. Tar spot in corn is the main concern, which will build inoculum for future seasons in fields with hot spots, as well as SDS and Cercospora in soybeans. The SDS has done most of the damage it will do, but Cercospora can lead to purple seed stain and dockage at the elevator, so that will be a disease to monitor throughout harvest.

Corn is firing up through the fields, but there is still a lot of green out there. The furthest progressed fields I saw in DeKalb were just reaching black layer, with other fields still at the 60–75% milk line. This warmer, dry climate will help the plants start to dry down in the next couple of weeks. West and south of DeKalb are well ahead maturity-wise, and harvest will be here in a matter of weeks. Corn has strong stands, and I have not seen much, if any, lodging across the region outside of small pockets that had hail damage early in the season.

Soybeans are turning and senescing rapidly. The late start to the season, with cooler temperatures, has prolonged maturity compared to other areas of northern Illinois. Cercospora is the main disease I have seen while scouting, with a small amount of frogeye leaf spot. Beans are still very wet, and very few fields have reached near-complete defoliation. Another week and a half should bring defoliation close to completion.

On a lighter note, apple orchards and pumpkin patches are in full swing, and plenty of fall festivals are on the horizon to enjoy this great weather across northern Illinois.