In western Clinton County, there is quite a bit of corn out of the ground, almost all of which is between V2-V4. I saw no beans past VC in the area.

I drove down to Carbondale earlier this week and would venture to say that almost all of the corn in the western side of southern Illinois has been planted, and around 75% of first crop beans. South central Illinois is farther behind.

Minimal planting is still happening in some areas along with some out spraying. The warmer weather has helped to dry things up but a rain on 6/5 may leave some ponding depending on individual field characteristics. Both corn and soybean growth stages are varied across the county but seeing an increase in weed pressure overall.

There is quite a bit of variability between fields in corn and soybean growth stage in Iroquois County. I saw very few unplanted fields, but there were several planted within the last few days an yet to emerge. The majority of corn observed was around the V2/V3 growth stage, with a few fields closer to V5/V6. Most soybeans were at late VC or early V1, but I found a few fields with most plants at V3/V4 plants and at least a couple plants at early R1. The few wheat fields I saw looked to be progressing well into senescence with minimal lodging at this point. Soil moisture conditions were generally good, with the occasional muddy spot visible in some fields. Some uneven emergence and uneven color, particularly in corn, was observed in these wetter fields, but these areas could still recover if they don’t get hit by too much rain in the near term.

With the significant rainfall the area saw beginning a couple weeks ago (> 2.6 inches between May 21 and 28), plus almost another inch of rain between June 1 and now, corn is beginning to show signs of N deficiency. Some fields are showing areas of stunted, light green plants, and some are exhibiting uneven emergence. This is not across the board, however, and some fields look very healthy. This week, I have seen little to no ponding in fields.

After receiving and unexpected 1.5-5 inches of rain last Friday and Saturday, it has again been the waiting game to allow things to dry out. Top soil is extremely hard after the pounding rains we received last Friday. Crops are struggling to get out of the ground and very uneven stands. We could use a light rain to help with emergence.

It’s a race to finish planting before the forecasted rain.

With adequate moisture, temperatures and sunshine….the crops are moving along at a good pace. Growth stages in both soybeans and corn are varied all over the countryside. Your fields may require very different approaches based on crop stage and field situation. It may be worth looking at extra Nitrogen for corn fields with excess rainfall. Another Pre-emerge herbicide added to your post application in corn or soybeans.

Planting is back in action across the county with some replants due to soil crusting. Some fields did see some extent of wind damage from a storm 5/24 but are bouncing back. Most fields are looking around V2-V6 for corn and VC-V2 for soybeans depending planting date.

Last weekend, our region received approximately an inch of rain, with some areas getting 1.5 to 2 inches. With the sun and warm temps, we could use more rain to help the beans. The corn was planted on May 6th and the beans on May 18th. Weeds are starting to break through the PRE herbicide, but there are no signs of disease or insect pressure.

Our recent heavy rains occurred at the same time as 50% egg hatch for western corn rootworm in east central Illinois – it will be interesting to see if that impacts the rootworm population this year. (Generally, saturated soils during egg hatch cause a lot of mortality). It was a quiet week for non-cicada-related insect questions. Continue scouting for black cutworm and other seedling pests up to about V5.