After some needed rains came through the area, harvest has been stalled for a couple days in the region. During my survey of southern Vermilion County, I saw a few combines parked in the field ready to get rolling again soon. Of the harvested fields I saw, it was about a 60/40 split, with more soybeans harvested than corn. At this time, I would estimate about 10 percent of the fields I passed by during my survey had been harvested. For the standing corn fields surveyed, the majority were at or within a couple days of R6 (black layer). Most soybean fields have made it at least into R7 (beginning maturity) with quite a few at R8 and just waiting for field conditions to dry up a bit more before being harvested.

Some very welcome rains have been received over the past week with totals varying from less than 1″ to nearly 3″ in my 3-county area. Corn and soybean fields are being harvested with yields being reported as good. If you are planning on letting your corn dry in the field, please check those fields for their standability. and whether they need to be harvested earlier rather than later. I ran across an area where the corn fields had suffered weather stress issues during the growing season and the stalk quality was not great (see photo).

Harvest is underway throughout the county for some producers while other fields are still shy of maturity. This week brought cooler temperatures but we are still experiencing dry soils. We did see some scattered light showers in the morning on 9/24 but not enough to slow harvest. Be sure to check fire extinguishers and combines for buildup as we go into harvest, especially given the drier conditions. Have a safe and great harvest season!

Southern Clinton County and into Washington has seen harvest begin more than the north half or Marion county. Quite a few farms are working on corn fields here. Corn throughout the region seems to have hit black layer and is still a little on the wet side for the most part, but harvestable. First crop soybeans are defoliating quickly and double crops are just beginning to see a few tinges of yellow while still filling those top pods thanks to the rains the last couple weeks. This late season moisture is delaying harvest now but will surely boost double crop yields. I have seen one bean field harvested and drilled (presumably to wheat) as of today.

Harvest has kicked off in most of the region. As I have traveled northern Illinois and Eastern Iowa, I have seen some really nice fields as well as some that were stressed. Northern Illinois looked really nice. Some fields were heavily impacted by Tar Spot. That is the main disease I consistently found. Other diseases that I often found but in lesser degrees were Northern Corn Leaf Blight, Southern Rust and Anthracnose Stalk Rot. Many of the soybeans are turning and it is obvious there is a lack of water in most of the region as it is not a uniform appearance.

In the last week, more producers have begun harvesting their crops across Logan, Menard, and Sangamon counties. While there was rain last Friday, it was not enough to slow down the harvest. Many producers seem to be getting their early-planted soybeans out first, with some early-planted corn also coming out. Temperatures in the mid to high 80s have helped crops mature and be ready for harvest. In speaking with producers, corn in drier, sandier soils are below 20% moisture, while most other fields are between 20-25% moisture.

The growing season and grain fill is all but over for most and has ended on a dry note. All fields I have visited have been tinder dry, as harvest gets underway a reminder to check fire extinguishers and if available, have a tractor hooked to a tillage implement ready to go to help contain a field fire. Checking combines for residue buildup throughout the day and having the local fire department phone number readily available is also recommended. Despite Tar Spot getting a later start in Northeast Illinois, by late August and September it spread throughout the upper corn canopy reflected by image provided. Final yields will share the effect Tar spot and drought had on the 2024 crop. While checking corn fields I am finding very limited olive-green ear rot symptoms. This can be representative of Penicillium ear rot or Aspergillus ear rot. Aspergillus is most favored by hot and dry conditions. Aspergillus ear rot appears most commonly at the tip of the ear but can be scattered throughout. This ear rot is particularly troublesome because of their ability to produce a mycotoxin called aflatoxin. A great resource for identifying and understanding ear rots can be found from the Crop Protection Network. https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/publications/an-overview-of-ear-rots
Wishing a safe harvest to all!

The tropical storm blessed most of southern Illinois with somewhere between a quarter or even over an inch of rain, which is especially helpful to the double crop beans still filling their top pods. First crop soybean fields are yellowing but still a ways off from physiological maturity for the most part. Corn is still drying down; most is still not quite to black layer. Lots of silage has been cut in the past couple of weeks. Still not much in the way of harvest occurring in southern Illinois; I’ve only seen one corn field shelled and heard of one soybean field being cut.

We missed the rains over the weekend, and the heat is starting to show stress in fields. Soybean fields are showing their stressed areas by maturing quicker than the rest of the field. Corn is moving along quickly, dropping 1.5 -2 a day in moisture. This will probably result in a little drop in TW as we reach black layer.

Harvest has begun in select fields in northern Champaign County. A number of corn fields have been “opened up”, and I saw a couple soybean fields where harvest had also started. However, there are still plenty of corn and beans in the county holding on to some green leaves, but the warm, dry weather has been moving things along quickly. Most corn fields surveyed were at or within a few days of R6 (physiological maturity; black layer), although I did find a couple fields still at mid-R5 (dent). Soybeans ranged from late R6 (full seed) through R8 (full maturity) with most falling in the R7 (beginning maturity) range. As is the case in much of the state that didn’t get appreciable rain out of the remnants of last week’s Hurricane (then Tropical Storm) Francine, soil conditions are getting dry in northern Champaign County.