Overall, it’s been a very hot and humid week across northern IL as we begin to move out of the heat dome that has been sitting over us for the past five days. This week alone, we’ve added nearly 200 GDUs from the heat wave in DeKalb County, with seasonal totals reaching 959 GDUs. Isolated rainstorms have brought some relief to drought-stricken areas. Some fields are still showing signs of stress with “pineapple” corn, but overall, the corn crop has looked better this past week. With temperatures expected to remain high as we enter July, I expect early-season stunting or growth delays in both corn and soybeans to be largely overcome.

Corn has begun to shoot up across most fields I scouted. Lake County still has some shorter corn, but as you head further west along the I-88 corridor, the stands get taller—reflecting the pattern of rainfall and the impact of late-spring cool temps. Corn is between V6/V7 and V9/V10 depending on planting date and is nearly 5′ tall in some fields. Much of the drought stress from last week has been alleviated thanks to healthy weekend rains across northern IL, along with isolated storms this week. More storms are expected, and it would be great if some of the drier fields could catch them. I haven’t seen any tar spot or other fungal diseases so far this season, but with rising moisture and temperatures into the 80s, we may begin to see it in the lower canopy. Tar spot has been found in western IL, and you can track its spread at the Crop Protection Network:
https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/maps/tar-spot-of-corn

Soybeans are progressing well. On Wednesday, 6/25/25, I saw the first field beginning to flower as we enter the R1 stage. Fields range from third trifoliate to R1 flowering, depending on environmental conditions and planting dates. The further west you go, the taller the beans, with Lake County again showing some of the shorter growth. Overall, I haven’t seen any early-season diseases, and most visible damage is from herbicide burn following post applications.

Wheat had a strong week of ripening after a cool May and early June. Disease pressure remains low in the fields I scouted, with full heads present. The grain is still quite wet in the head, and plants need more time to mature and dry down. If warm temperatures continue in the upper 80s, I’d expect harvest to begin in some fields around or just after the Fourth of July.

The high temperatures over the last week have caused many corn fields to grow at a rapid pace. There is hardly a corn field that isn’t knee-high—one week before the Fourth of July. At the University Research Plot in Hartsburg, IL, corn is at the V9–V10 stage, with other fields in the area at V7–V8. Soybeans have faced a tougher challenge with the high temps. While some fields are handling the heat well, many are showing signs of stress, including cupped leaves. There are no additional signs of insect or disease pressure yet, but continued high temperatures will likely lead to more issues.

After a very hot and humid week, LaSalle County received some much-needed rainfall on Tuesday night. Crops were exhibiting considerable heat stress before this, but overall, they’re now looking much healthier. Additional rainfall is in the forecast for Wednesday night and potentially into the weekend, though temperatures will remain in the high 80s to 90s. Corn is reaching V6–V7, and most soybeans are at V2–V3. There is a wider range of growth stages among soybean fields, with some recently replanted; one scouted field was already at R1. No significant pest or disease issues have been observed yet, although Japanese beetles were present in many soybean fields. Recent reports confirmed Tar spot in Bureau County, so growers should stay vigilant and continue scouting.

Crops are off like a rocket in our territory. Favorable growing conditions—warm weather and timely rains—have set us up for success. With these conditions, concerns about crop diseases like the dreaded tar spot are becoming a reality. There have been several sightings of it in our territory. If the heat continues as it has this week, we believe it will help reduce the push of infection.

As for soybeans, many post applications have been applied. These treatments continue to show significant crop response on the leaves. We’re also seeing good success with these applications in controlling waterhemp and other tough-to-kill pests.

It’s that time of year when we encourage producers to take a two-week vacation—and come back to clean fields and beautiful crops! Corn is coming out of its ugly stage as it finds nitrogen, and soybeans are rebounding nicely after the initial setback from post applications. All in all, we’re excited about the potential our crops continue to show.

Currently, the corn and soybean crops are looking good. Soybeans range from V3 to R2 (full bloom), while corn varies from V7 to R1 (silking), with most of the crop at V10+ and some expected to reach VT before July 4. Weed control is generally looking good. Alfalfa fields are ready for the second cutting.

The heat this week has certainly helped move the crop along in Champaign County. And despite a couple of pop-up showers, it has also helped dry out fields enough for post-emergence herbicide applications, which were needed—and probably a couple of weeks past due—in several soybean fields. Soybeans with good early-season weed control remain relatively clean. Many soybean fields are starting to flower (R1) or have reached full flower (R2), but there are still plenty of later-planted fields in earlier vegetative growth stages (V2–V3).

Early corn is about head high, around V14–V15. Brace roots are just starting to emerge in these fields, which will help in some cases where plants are still leaning from last week’s strong windstorm. Later corn is generally in the V6–V8 range and starting to grow more rapidly. I passed one wheat field already harvested during my survey and a few others that were fully mature (Feekes 11.4) and not far from harvest themselves.

Although the heat and break from the rain were needed for many farmers to wrap up early-season field operations, conditions could quickly tip toward the dry side with rapidly growing (and transpiring) crops. As always, timely rains will be critical to replenish soil moisture and minimize stress during these hot summer days.

Central/West-Central Illinois Crop Report 6/23/25

A drive through WC/C IL late last week showed a sizable fraction of the soybean crop still fighting to get past the “early-season” uglies—the typical yellow-green look we see every year. That story began to shift over the weekend as heat drove further root development, turning the countryside (in many places) a more satisfying dark green.

As we would expect, given variable planting dates, crop development remains diverse. The bean crop currently averages 6 to 7 nodes, with the earliest-planted fields showing 10 to 11 nodes and the latest-planted showing 3 to 4. Rows in many areas have begun to canopy, and our first batch of flowers can now be observed in several locations.

Weed control has been a recent point of discussion. Some of those conversations have included concerns about damaging the first flush of flowers, particularly where weed pressure has been more difficult to manage.

The southeastern portion of this area is experiencing what Southern Illinoisans know too well—the rain never wanted to shut off, and now it seems to have disappeared.

Japanese beetle emergence began last week, and grape colaspis adults will soon follow.

In other row crop news, tassels began emerging in our earliest-planted corn fields over the weekend. Most of the corn crop is still several leaves away from the reproductive stage, but kernel establishment is approaching quickly.

Wheat harvest will soon knock on the door, and hay bales are beginning to dot fields across the area.

Some late vegetative corn fields (V12+) in Menard County and northwestern Sangamon County are severely lodged from the tornadoes that went through the area on Wednesday (6/18). While some fields lay flat, there seems to be minimal snapping. Other later-planted corn fields in the region range in their vegetative stages (V5–V10) and were left standing after the high winds.

Soybeans appear unharmed by the storms and are starting to flower, although later-planted fields are still around the V4–V5 stage. While scouting, we noticed that Japanese beetles and grape colaspis beetles were beginning to appear, but in very low populations, and leaf-feeding damage was few and far between. Many fields are still growing out of foliar damage from their post-herbicide applications.

A wheat field in Menard County was starting to turn and will likely be ready to harvest within the next couple of weeks.

The past couple of weeks have been exceptionally dry for northern Illinois. We’ve had a few sporadic rain events, with rainfall totals being very isolated and regional from pop-up severe storms. The rain we received this past week, including on Wednesday, June 18, has helped move us toward a more normal seasonal total — which was much needed. Much of the area along and north of Interstate 80 has shifted between D0 and D1 drought status, a slight improvement from some localized D2 droughts.

Temperatures are rising, and we’re expecting hot and humid weather in the weeks to come, with more typical temperatures for this time of year. Overall, we had a great week for growing degree units (GDUs), and as of June 18, the DeKalb area has accumulated 740 GDUs.

Corn, for the most part, is very drought-stressed and showing symptoms such as “pineapple corn” — skinny, withered plants across most fields. Crops are varying widely in growth stage, with some fields at V4 pushing into V5 and standing about 15 inches tall, while others are strong, healthy V7 plants measuring 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall. The localized rain from significant pop-up storms over the past week made a noticeable difference. Many fields are either the “haves” or “have-nots” when it comes to rainfall. The two corn photos I posted above are from fields about two miles apart in DeKalb County, clearly illustrating how isolated some of these rain events have been. The rain on June 18 brought anywhere from 0.5 inch to more than 1 inch, depending on how far south you are through the Joliet region.

Soybeans are still slightly stunted from the drought but overall appear healthy. Most fields range between three and five trifoliates, and the added moisture should promote continued growth. I have not seen any early-season diseases, but I’ve noticed minor insect damage across most fields — nothing to write home about. Overall, fields have good stands and vigor and should grow out of the early-season stunting.

I didn’t have a chance to get into any wheat fields this week. The few I drove past and got a quick look at seem to be in Feekes stage 11, around dough stage, and are ripening nicely. I hope to scout for any late-season diseases by next week. With increased GDUs this week and the forecast calling for hotter temperatures, wheat should ripen nicely for an early July harvest.

Still wet. We had one brief window last week in which a little more planting took place, followed by a few more inches of rain. Most fields are planted, but not all—still about 5–10% unplanted in this region. Temperatures in the high 90s are expected over the next several days, so maybe that’ll dry things up enough to finish the first crop. Hot weather should also help bring the wheat crop down the home stretch. The grain is almost dry, but fields are still wet. Hopefully, there will be enough evaporation to avoid rutting up fields during wheat harvest.