The rain we received this week was definitely needed. Most fields are showing emergence, or just past, although you may catch a tractor or two in the field finishing up planting. As long the rain keeps coming, we should see soil conditions improve and crops progressing.

Widespread precipitation this week in NE Illinois along with much cooler temperatures. Most planting is starting to wrap up in the region. I visited several soy fields that after an initial rain event went weeks without additional precipitation leading to emergence issues. When visiting the field after recent rains, some emergence is still taking place while other soy seedlings simply couldn’t push through the crusted soil. Soybeans have epigeal emergence which means the hypocotyl arch pulls the cotyledons through the soil surface. Crusted soil can make this a challenge. Finer textured soils with low organic matter that have limited residue are more prone to crust. Crusting is also more likely following a heavy rainfall event causing soil aggregates to move into the open pore space. Limited rainfall after the heavy rainfall event intensifies the chance for soil crusting. Soil crusting causes soybeans to use all their energy trying to emerge from the soil and can result in a poor stand. What soy population is needed before considering a replant? Dr. Emerson Nafziger addressed this issue for both corn and soy in a 2020 farmdocDaily posting https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2020/05/replanting-corn-and-soybeans.html . In his article Dr. Nafziger shared an adage for soybean stands, ” When plants are easy to count without bending over, there aren’t enough of them”. While we are cognizant of lower soy population’s remarkable ability to compensate yield, growers are still encouraged to scout fields that are prone to crusting or emergence issues for adequate stands. NE Illinois alfalfa fields are starting to blossom, I expect the season’s first cuttings to take place as soon as window of favorable weather for drying and harvest takes place.

It has been a wet and chilly week following the hot, dry weather last week. LaSalle County saw nearly 5 inches of rainfall, which has led to ponding in some of the more low-lying areas of fields. Nearly all corn acres are planted, with most corn around stage V1-V2. The most mature corn I observed was at V4. Around 50-60% of soy acres are planted/emerged, with earlier planted soy reaching V2. I have also noticed a small uptick in corn-on-corn in LaSalle County this year compared to previous.

While it may be tempting to mow ditches, roadsides, and fence rows now that vegetation is getting larger with the increased rainfall, it is nesting season for ground-dwelling birds like pheasants. Avoid mowing until August to give these birds time to nest, especially in areas with more diverse stands of grasses that provide more attractive habitat.

For my crop survey this week, I traveled to southern Vermilion County. Most of the area had received at least an inch of rain over the past 24 hours, and likely more in some areas over the past week with the pop-up showers that were prevalent before temps cooled down. Although it was on the wet side, most fields had been planted and the majority of those had emerged, with just a couple areas with fields tilled but still unplanted. Corn generally ranged from VE to V3-4, and soybean ranged from VE to V1-2. The couple wheat fields I observed were fully headed out.

Attending the Illinois Wheat Plot Tour provided valuable insights into wheat development and the progress of corn and soybean planting in Bond and Madison Counties. Overall, wheat is flowering and progressing well, with insignificant occurrences of lodging and disease. Wheat yields are estimated at 93.77 in Bond County and 75.15 in Madison County based on our head and spikelet counts. Wet conditions have had discernible impacts on corn and soybean planting progress as most fields appear to be untouched by farming equipment.

Attending the Illinois Wheat Plot Tour provided valuable insights into wheat development and the progress of corn and soybean planting in Macoupin and Montgomery Counties. Overall, wheat is flowering and conditions appear favorable, with only minor occurrences of bacterial leaf streak and tan spot observed in the fields we visited. Based on head and spikelet counts, estimated wheat yields are 100.38 in Macoupin County and 89.59 in Montgomery County. Corn and soybeans are beginning to emerge and are in their early vegetative stages, although many fields have yet to be planted due to wet spring conditions.

Many have finishing up planting and spraying but have now moved on to stand evaluation. Overall, stands look good, low populations in some fields have led to some replant situations thanks to slugs. Also, hearing some concerns about cutworm. Now is the time to scout.

On my drive this morning, nearly every field had corn or soybean emergence. I haven’t seen a planter in the last couple of days, seems like planting is pretty wrapped up. Fields are dry and plants really could use a drink of water, but low chances in the forecast the next 5-6 days. Crossing our fingers!

Black cutworm will likely become large enough to cut plants in most of Illinois over the next week or so; this is a good time to scout, with a special focus on fields where winter annual weed control was poor and/or weedy vegetation was dying while crops were emerging. While black cutworm (along with variegated cutworm and some other species) are more of a problem where broadleaf vegetation was present early, look out for armyworm in wheat and in corn where grassy weeds/cover crops were present early – again, the situation that most commonly leads to injury is when the crop emerges while grassy vegetation is dying/drying down. (Fields bordering wheat can be affected as well). We have nice, warm temperatures and (mostly) good soil moisture (perhaps a little too “good” in some areas), which will help seedling plants outrun early season insect injury. I have continued to receive only a handful of reports of injury – nothing out of the ordinary so far. (Note my own observations so far have been pretty limited to areas where we’re planting trials near Champaign and Monmouth – we’ll start to cover more of the state as our soybean insect sampling takes off in the next few weeks).

Still very wet. Most of the fungicide is on wheat, which looks good where it hasn’t been drowned out. Still no planters out of the shed. Forecast calling for more rain.