Both corn and soybeans are progressing well so far in Edgar County. Soils in most fields surveyed were starting to get dry, with cracks forming and minimal moisture in the top 3–4 inches. At the time of my survey in the afternoon of 8/5, small pop-up showers were in the area, but they provided minimal relief. Of the corn fields surveyed, most are in the late R4 (“dough”) to early R5 (“dent”) stage, with a couple of fields still in the late R3 (“milk”) to early R4 (“dough”) stages. Relatively minor tip dieback—presumably due to recent moisture stress—was prevalent in many, but not all, fields surveyed. Foliar and stalk diseases are starting to show up, but pressure still appears minimal at this time.

Soybean fields surveyed were primarily in the R4 (“full pod”) to R5 (“beginning seed”) stages, with some stragglers still in the R3 (“beginning pod”) stage. Again, no major signs of disease are showing up yet in the soybean fields surveyed. Japanese beetle feeding was easy to find, although it was still below recommended thresholds for control (https://farmdoc.illinois.edu/field-crop-production/insects/japanese-beetle-management-guidelines.html).