More heat and little to no moisture—where have we heard that before? This time, though, the hot and dry weather patterns are helping to propel us through harvest across the Midwest. The entire state of Illinois is experiencing some degree of drought, with the central and southern regions well into a D2 drought. Overall, northern Illinois is sitting around a D1 drought. Across the DeKalb area, corn and soybeans are being harvested as we have hit maturity. Most soybean fields are ready to harvest, with noticeable green stem in some of the fields I have scouted. Soybean pods are filled with good-sized seeds, and harvest should go quickly, with bean moisture dropping too low being a limiting factor. Corn fields are a little behind and, depending on variety and planting date, are at maturity and being harvested. With near-record highs projected into the weekend, corn ears should continue to dry down rapidly and drop from the corn stalks.

Corn prices are averaging $3.80–$4.10 in northern and central Illinois, while soybean prices are between $9.50–$9.80, and prices continue to remain low. I have not seen early averages for corn and soybeans, but the expectation is for a high-yielding harvest, which will hopefully offset the lower commodity prices.

Once again, I wish everyone a safe and happy harvest!