This past week saw hail, substantial rain, and missed opportunities for needed precipitation in varying fields across the northeast region of Illinois. Corn has reached R3 or the milk stage in the field I have been scouting this summer. At this stage the kernel no longer adds new cells to the kernel endosperm but fills the existing cells with liquid starch. If punctured the liquid or “milk” will spray or shoot out of the kernel. Foliar disease pressure in this field continues to be low, I have noted very sporadic purplish lesions in leaf midribs and on corn stalks. This is symptomatic of the fungal disease Physoderma brown spot. Especially on lighter soils or areas where significant nitrogen loss occurred, likely due in part to extreme rainfall, considerable remobilization of carbohydrates is taking place as corn plants cannibalize lower leaves to meet their nutritional needs of ear development. Soy has reached R4 or full pod stage, the beginning of a critical stress response period for the soy plant. New flower growth slows and plants lose their ability to remake new flowers and pods. Similar to the corn crop, disease and insect pressure currently are low in the 2026 soy fields I have visited.