I’m looking forward to another growing season and crop reporting in Northeast Illinois. April and May precipitation has slowed planting progress compared with other regions of Illinois. I’m estimating almost as much seed is still in the bag as is in the ground. On suitable days for planting, reports received suggest local farmers actively planted both soybeans and corn. The practice of planting soybeans ahead of corn acres has been adopted by many. Whether corn or soybeans, I was impressed by the acreage planted in a limited time frame. Despite planting date, low accumulations of GDDs have slowed crop emergence.

With limited emerged crops, we will highlight insect pests found in alfalfa. While sweeping alfalfa, we netted alfalfa weevil larvae, aphids and bean leaf beetles. We will continue to monitor leaf feeding in the alfalfa crop to determine whether a management threshold is reached.

In my three-county area, we are more than two-thirds planted, but that varies from area to area depending on rainfall amounts and field drainage. All plants are showing leaf damage from one or a combination of high winds, blowing soil and severe storms. This leaf damage can be seen in the photos.

With the high winds, we have experienced dust storms in select locations across the three counties.

Fieldwork and planting have been ongoing once fields dried enough following the significant rainfall events experienced in the area in mid-April. Although two weeks ago we experienced a number of uncharacteristically warm days, the weather this week continues to vary, as some days have been relatively warm but many nights have been relatively cool, with some even falling below freezing. Those who have recently planted may see slower emergence due to the consistently colder nighttime temperatures. However, the next week should bring temperate weather to facilitate further planting progress and good conditions for crop emergence across the area.

Planters were rolling over the weekend in parts of Champaign County, but rain from Monday into Tuesday has kept everyone out of the field since. Most fields I passed during my survey of the northern half of the county had been planted, but maybe only 10% to 15% had crop emergence. Cooler weather and relatively wet soils over the past couple of weeks have made the crop slow to emerge in many fields, with some taking more than two weeks after planting. Most soybeans are just starting to get out of the ground, while a few corn fields I saw were a bit further along, near the V2 stage. The one wheat field I found was still in the stem elongation phase, with the flag leaf visible on some of the more advanced plants.

Roughly 75% planted after an early planting season. Crop that’s up is in the “ugly duckling” stage and needs some heat to really get going. Wheat spraying wrapped up for the most part, and many are very optimistic about the wheat crop. Finding ladybug pupae in soybean fields!

There has been no field activity since we received 3.5 to 4 inches of rain last Monday (4/27/26). Rain came down at a record pace and caused flooding. As a result, there was some ponding. Soils are still saturated, and crops are tattered from wind and minor hail. The stands of early planted crops look good despite the weather. Soybeans that were struggling to emerge, with snapped necks in crusted soils, look better, and soybeans continue to emerge, so stands could improve. Corn that was hindered in crusted soils looks significantly better, with good stand counts, but with some gaps in rows. Those who planted right before the heavy rains fear they may need to replant.

3.61 inches of rain for the week of April 26 has put a halt to field operations. Early planted soybeans look excellent. Early corn has emerged and is off to a good start, despite the cooler temperatures. Most corn planted in the window before the large rain still has not emerged. Replant operations appear to be likely on those acres. Soft red winter wheat has headed out, and anthers have appeared, triggering aerial applications of head scab fungicide.

Our region received between 0.4 and 1 inch of rain on Monday, April 27, and the majority of the week was cool and overcast with small chances of rain every day during the week. Since the first part of the week was not optimal for fieldwork, we found a way to stay busy doing projects like aerial seeding a new pasture. Farmers are pushing to get more done before the next rain. Fieldwork picked up toward the end of the week, allowing us to accomplish more than anticipated, as well as assisting in planting corn research plots at the FS Technology Learning Center in Galesburg.

Many had just started to get back into the field after last weekend’s (about 1 inch) rain but have stopped again after today’s rain. A high percentage of fields have been planted, and you can now see around 35% soybean and corn emergence from the road. Overall, both corn and soybean stands and populations look good after last weekend’s cold snap and rain. Some fields that were planted around April 9 or 10 are struggling to emerge in fields that are crusted. One soybean field had necks that were breaking in crusted conditions, and these plants will not survive. Plant populations will need to be reevaluated in another five to seven days to see if replant is needed. Many days have been very windy and not suitable for herbicide applications. Morningglories were seen emerging while scouting soybeans.

We started off the week with unfavorable (15-20 mph-plus) winds, which kept us out of the field for the first half of the week. In the meantime, we have kept busy finishing up spring anhydrous ammonia and delivering seed to customers. We continue to make progress with trials, such as our HumiK trial near Lomax, Ill., where we spread dry fertilizer on Friday—now just to plant—and our ISA on-farm Sulfur 2.0 trial also was planted on Saturday. Wednesday, we started spraying, and a lot of local farmers have started planting as well. Friday morning, we were set back a day from 0.10-0.20 inch of rain. Last Friday, we got severe storms with 1-2 inches of rain, high winds and hail. Temperatures have been in the 50s, with frost overnight. We are expecting more severe storms this next week, which could set everyone back with fieldwork once again.