Region 5 | July 15, 2026 | Douglas

Talon Becker
tbecker2@illinois.edu

Caption: Double-crop soybeans at late VC growth stage with first trifoliates emerging – 15 July 2026, Douglas County
Caption: Standing water still present in isolated areas of some fields – 15 July 2026, Douglas County
Caption: Physoderma brown spot (leaves) and stalk rot of corn – 15 July 2026, Douglas County
SYNOPSIS

Most corn and soybeans in Douglas County have progressed into flowering stages. The primary exceptions to this are areas of fields where early season inundation led to crop stunting as well as a handful of fields where planting was delayed due to wet conditions, which now contain soybeans. These fields, as well as the few wheat/double-crop soybean fields I found, have soybeans ranging from late VC to early V4. Corn that has entered reproductive growth is still in the early stages, generally R1 (silking) to early R2 (blister). Developing pods can be found in the lower canopy of many soybean fields (R3). Foliar disease issues still appear to be minimal in the county. Low spots in soybean fields still have a visibly lighter color as they try to recover from saturated soil conditions and possible soil-borne pathogen pressure. In corn, I found a couple fields with some Physoderma brown spot/stalk rot symptoms starting to show. This pathogen doesn’t generally cause economic losses, but it may be taken into consideration when prioritizing fields for harvest to minimize loss potential from lodging (https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/encyclopedia/physoderma-stalk-rot-of-corn).

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES CURRENT CONDITIONS IN THIS COUNTY?
Near Normal
IF CONDITIONS ARE ON THE DRY END, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING US DROUGHT MONITOR CATEGORIES BEST FIT CURRENT CONDITIONS
Near Normal (Dnada)