The month of May has had only 3 to 4 days suitable for field work due to frequent rains. Heavy soaking rain of 2.4 inches on May 19-20 left fields completely saturated and soft. Very few drying days through Memorial Day, as skies remained overcast and temperatures cool. But temperatures are now increasing and close to normal, which is starting to drive some rapid crop growth (along with weeds!). Early beans are showing some patchy yellow discoloration that appears to be connected with wet spots during tillage and aggravated by excessive rainfall. Early corn has reached V5 to V7 and is taking off rapidly. Saw a few sprayers going on Memorial Day and several more the day after. Corn planted in the window of May 15 still has not emerged or is emerging uneven due to excessive moisture, no sun and cool temps. Replant operations should commence this week, as needed. Soft red winter wheat is filling grain but showing apparent barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) affecting flag leaves in clusters. Also, some head scab in the wheat, even where fungicide was applied at flowering. A little sunshine and warmer temperatures forecasted ahead should help everything improve!

We were able to plant our last soybean field on May 14 in between rains. It rained 1 to 2 inches after these were planted, with most of the rain on Monday, May 18th. These soybeans were just starting to emerge and we will need to wait another week before we can start taking plant populations. Nearby corn was at V3, with stands looking good. Wheat harvest will be 1 to 2 weeks earlier than normal this year. A few plants were showing signs of fusarium head blight or head scab. Fungicides should have been applied at early flowering (anthesis – anthers are present) or as late as 5 to 7 days after flower for disease suppression. Some pre and post herbicide applications taking place on dryer or tiled ground.

Planting is over 90% completed in my three-county area. The rains of the past week brought anywhere from nearly 3 inches of rain in the southern portions to just over 1/2 inch in the NE portion. Generally, the emerged crops look good, but areas of some fields are showing uneven emergence due to soil crusting. In an effort to get fields planted ahead of the May 15 rains, some fields were tilled when the soil was too wet, and they are now experiencing weed control problems due to incomplete control of emerged weeds.

Overall, planting is close to finished across more of northern Illinois. Field work over the last two weeks has been non-stop, and most fields I saw were either planted or just beginning to emerge, whether that was corn or soybeans. After a wild and wet April, May has been very dry and unusually cool, with a few late spring overnight frosts. Some of the early plantings of corn and soybeans were showing some slight damage, but nothing that they wouldn’t grow out of.

As I mentioned, May has been very dry so far, with many of the major storms going south and hitting central and southern Illinois. Parts of northern Illinois have slipped back into a very mild drought, and we should continue to monitor that as we finish with May and enter the summer months. With planting being delayed and most crops just emerging, the season is a bit behind last year. Some concerns to watch will be pressure from weeds depending on when pre-emergent herbicides were applied, but otherwise we are off and running on another season.

The coming weeks will be more eventful as crops begin to take off, and it will hopefully be a smooth and productive season!

Much of the crop in Ford County is in the ground and the remaining fields should get planted sometime this week or early next. As I drove through the county for my survey on Wednesday morning, conditions were starting to dry up just enough for traffic in many fields, although some fields in the southern part of the county were still a bit on the wet side. About half of the fields I drove by and visited had emerged crop, with many of those still in that VE stage. I found a few fields of early planted corn around V4-V5 and soybeans around V2-V3. The more advanced corn was showing some striping (interveinal chlorosis) in parts of a couple fields, potentially from nutrient deficiencies caused by cool temps and the subsequent lack of root growth and slow mineralization of soil organic matter. As conditions warm and root systems continue to develop, previous years have shown these symptoms subside with sufficient sulfur supplied by soils. Warmer temps and relatively dry conditions in the short-term forecast are welcomed and will help the crop catch up a bit from the cool May we’ve had so far.

After some much needed heat and sunshine, the crop has really taken off in the last week! Heavy rains in some areas, but there’s pockets that could use a rain as well!

Another good week for field work in the region. Substantial progress was made in both corn and soy planting. Several eighty degree days helped spur growth in planted crops; however, I noted no-till soy fields, especially soy planted into heavy corn residue, were lagging in emergence and development, likely due to cooler soils. It is generally suggested with soybeans that cotyledons provide the needs of the plant during emergence to almost V1 (first trifoliate) stage. After V1, the photosynthesis of the vegetative plant will sustain itself. Early planted corn in the region has reached V4. Underground, the seminal root system has been joined by the nodal root system. The nodal root system of the corn plant is initiated at VE and becomes the major supplier of nutrients and water to the plant by V6.

Scouting fields at emergence and early vegetative stages is helpful in evaluating planter (and operator) performance by observing uniformity of plant stands, spacing and overall emergence. Additional notes can be taken on early season diseases, compaction or poorly drained areas in a field, and early season performance of soil-applied herbicides.

Soft red winter wheat has reached anthesis or flowering. For those considering a fungicide application to control Head Scab, this is a recommended window of application. In forage crops, alfalfa has started to flower, an indicator for harvest consideration (depending upon your goal of quality or quantity) when a favorable weather window permits.

We are seeing a variety of growth throughout the county due to the scattered planting dates. We still have some fields left to plant but are seeing quite a few more fields emerging this week. For us, it’s been a rather wet week with three days of rain in the past week and cooler temperatures swinging in the later part of this week. Pastures are looking healthy throughout the county as well.

There were a few days dry enough for field activity such as planting, tillage, side-dressing and pre/post herbicides. We became rained out again after receiving 0.7 inches on Friday, May 15th. There are now a wide range of growth stages of corn (VE – V5) and soybean (VE – V3) with some finishing up planting and others side-dressing corn or applying post herbicides. There also has been some replanting or spotting in of corn and soybeans. Recent heat has finally helped crops green up and grow.

This week we have been busy helping with the Knox County Ag in the Classroom for fourth graders. We helped by teaching students about planting wildflowers and pumpkins. Also, the importance of crops and soil to Illinois and gave drone application demos. We believe it is important to teach younger generations about agriculture and what we do in ag retail to provide support to farmers. Paired with Ag Day, this event helped students get hands-on experience and learn more about agriculture.

Farmers are making good progress planting this week and many are expecting to wrap by the end of the weekend. The soil has finally become fit for planting; this has helped tremendously with field progress. We have also been planting corn/soybean variety test plots to evaluate throughout the growing season. This research will help us know which varieties perform better under this season’s growing conditions in a side-by-side setting.

In our travels this week we have been checking on emerged corn and soybean fields, focusing on emergence and crop stands. Farmers that have waited for optimal conditions for planting corn have finally received their wish. Soil temps have warmed and soils are not sticky to the feel. Now that most farmers have their crops in, we would welcome a nice steady rain to help with crop growth and development over the weeks to come.