Conditions over the past two weeks have reverted back to being dry, with temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s. The corn and soybeans have been progressing very quickly with the increased Growing Degree Units (GDUs) and just enough moisture. As we look at the drought map, most of northern Illinois remains in D0 drought, with a small area south of Chicago in D1. The future forecast calls for more of the same: lower humidity and moderately high temperatures. I expect growing conditions to be ideal as we move through ear and pod fill in both crops. On the season, we are approaching 1,900 GDUs.

Corn is moving quickly through reproductive stages and is mostly at R3 (milk stage), with a few fields slightly behind at late-stage R2. Within the fields, disease is starting to creep in, but it is nothing I would be overly concerned about. Tar spot is replicating in the lower leaves thanks to some lower temperatures and heavy dews, but fungicides are keeping the upper canopy clean and ideal for ear fill. I have not seen much northern corn leaf blight. Gray leaf spot is present in the lower canopy, but again, this isn’t anything to worry about. I’ve seen a few corn leaf beetles, but they remain far below any threshold of economic loss. Overall, corn is looking great as we enter a bit of a lull in the growing season.

Soybeans have made a large jump in size thanks to the weather and ideal growing conditions. Fields with taller varieties are chest-high on me (6’3″, for reference) and are lush. Pods are beginning to fill out and are mostly at R4, entering R5 as the beans begin seed fill. Overall, this is one of the cleanest years disease-wise that I have seen in soybeans. Ideal temperatures and a general lack of moisture have produced very little disease pressure. Other than the occasional wet spot from heavy rains in July, soybeans are looking great across the board.

It’s another hot week upon us as a heat dome settles over the Midwest. July so far has brought 3.5 to 5 inches of rain, depending on the area, excluding Will County, which remains in a somewhat severe drought. Northwest Illinois is on pace with historical averages and enjoying a great growing season. South of Chicago and some suburban counties are drier than normal and continue to be in either a D1 or D2 drought. Corn planted on April 25 is likely around 1,500–1,600 growing degree units for the season.

Corn is mostly tasseled across the region, ranging from R1 to R2 (blister stage) and looking very healthy. With recent rains, disease has finally arrived across northern Illinois. I confirmed tar spot in DeKalb, Kane, McHenry, and Lake counties this week, with strong suspicions it is also present in DuPage and nearby counties. All plants I scouted had one or two lesions on the leaf below the ear leaf. At this point in the season, most fungicides have already been applied and should protect the crop through harvest. Scouting will help determine if additional sprays are needed, though anything after R3 is generally not recommended. Gray leaf spot has also been working its way up corn plants.

Soybeans are progressing well. Disease pressure is low, and they are moving into R4, with 3/4-inch pods. While we’re still seeing some stunting in northern Illinois from early drought and delayed emergence, overall soybean health looks good. Not much else to report, as pods are setting and filling.

The rains have finally arrived in northern IL, with a handful of widespread storm events and more starting this weekend and pushing into next week. Most areas have reverted to D0 or D1 drought status, and crops are doing well. Will County is the only area still in a D2 drought. With the rain and cooler temperatures in the forecast, disease may finally start to creep into our corn and soybean plots. This late in the season generally won’t have a large impact on yields, but scouting is still recommended through ear fill in corn, as well as scouting for white mold and frogeye in soybeans.

Corn is tasseling across the I-80 corridor. The DeKalb area was around 80% of fields at VT/R1, with the stragglers around V12/13 and spiking. Corn blotch leafminer is showing up in the lower leaves of multiple fields I scouted between DeKalb and Crystal Lake. This is also the kind of weather tar spot thrives in — wet, with intermittent rains and cooler temperatures overall. I would not be surprised if it is already in fields in northern IL or develops quickly with the upcoming forecast. Scouting is your best measure to know if it’s in your fields, as always. Corn overall is healthy, and I have not seen any fields with wind or hail damage despite the severe weather we have been seeing.

Soybeans are pushing quickly through growth stages. Most bean fields I scouted are in R3 and nearing R4 very quickly, if they aren’t already there. Disease pressure is low currently, with small amounts of Japanese beetle damage, but nothing that will lead to economic loss. I will be scouting heavily for white mold, SDS, frogeye, and other fungal diseases in the coming weeks if the water has turned on and stays on.

Another dry week for northern IL, with a few isolated storms occurring farther west or in Chicago. We have slid back into a predominantly D1 drought, with large areas of Kane and Will counties entering into a D2 drought. Corn and soybeans have started to grow out of the early-season stunting, but both crops are likely to be short overall this season. Temperatures dropped a little bit this past week but were still in the mid to upper 80s. Depending on planting date, corn is between 1,200–1,250 growing degree units as we continue to progress through the season.

Corn is averaging V11–V13 across the region. Some isolated fields are still lagging quite a bit behind, around V8–V9, but an overwhelming majority are spiking. Ears are starting to develop, and a small handful of fields have tassels emerging. I expect that by next week most fields will have tasseling corn. Disease is still incredibly low for this time of year; I have not found tar spot in any fields that I have scouted — let alone gray or northern blight. Many areas south of the I-80 corridor have confirmed cases, with the only county north being Carroll County out west. I continue to encourage regular scouting of your fields to stay on top of diseases. I have not seen any insect pests, but fall armyworm damage has been reported in sweet corn, so that is something to monitor.

Soybeans are beginning to enter R3 as pods are developing on the lowest nodes. Plants are healthy and beginning to fully shade out the rows. I have not seen any diseases yet, due mostly to the weather. Japanese beetles are present in most fields, but numbers aren’t anything to be concerned about currently. I have seen quite a bit of herbicide residual burn on beans this season, and it’s unclear whether the hot and dry weather is the culprit or different chemical mixes. Either way, the beans are growing out of it.

If you see any disease, insect damage, or anything else of note as the season continues, please feel free to email me images with descriptions at sbbrand2@illinois.edu.

Overall, it’s been a very hot and humid week across northern IL as we begin to move out of the heat dome that has been sitting over us for the past five days. This week alone, we’ve added nearly 200 GDUs from the heat wave in DeKalb County, with seasonal totals reaching 959 GDUs. Isolated rainstorms have brought some relief to drought-stricken areas. Some fields are still showing signs of stress with “pineapple” corn, but overall, the corn crop has looked better this past week. With temperatures expected to remain high as we enter July, I expect early-season stunting or growth delays in both corn and soybeans to be largely overcome.

Corn has begun to shoot up across most fields I scouted. Lake County still has some shorter corn, but as you head further west along the I-88 corridor, the stands get taller—reflecting the pattern of rainfall and the impact of late-spring cool temps. Corn is between V6/V7 and V9/V10 depending on planting date and is nearly 5′ tall in some fields. Much of the drought stress from last week has been alleviated thanks to healthy weekend rains across northern IL, along with isolated storms this week. More storms are expected, and it would be great if some of the drier fields could catch them. I haven’t seen any tar spot or other fungal diseases so far this season, but with rising moisture and temperatures into the 80s, we may begin to see it in the lower canopy. Tar spot has been found in western IL, and you can track its spread at the Crop Protection Network:
https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/maps/tar-spot-of-corn

Soybeans are progressing well. On Wednesday, 6/25/25, I saw the first field beginning to flower as we enter the R1 stage. Fields range from third trifoliate to R1 flowering, depending on environmental conditions and planting dates. The further west you go, the taller the beans, with Lake County again showing some of the shorter growth. Overall, I haven’t seen any early-season diseases, and most visible damage is from herbicide burn following post applications.

Wheat had a strong week of ripening after a cool May and early June. Disease pressure remains low in the fields I scouted, with full heads present. The grain is still quite wet in the head, and plants need more time to mature and dry down. If warm temperatures continue in the upper 80s, I’d expect harvest to begin in some fields around or just after the Fourth of July.

The past couple of weeks have been exceptionally dry for northern Illinois. We’ve had a few sporadic rain events, with rainfall totals being very isolated and regional from pop-up severe storms. The rain we received this past week, including on Wednesday, June 18, has helped move us toward a more normal seasonal total — which was much needed. Much of the area along and north of Interstate 80 has shifted between D0 and D1 drought status, a slight improvement from some localized D2 droughts.

Temperatures are rising, and we’re expecting hot and humid weather in the weeks to come, with more typical temperatures for this time of year. Overall, we had a great week for growing degree units (GDUs), and as of June 18, the DeKalb area has accumulated 740 GDUs.

Corn, for the most part, is very drought-stressed and showing symptoms such as “pineapple corn” — skinny, withered plants across most fields. Crops are varying widely in growth stage, with some fields at V4 pushing into V5 and standing about 15 inches tall, while others are strong, healthy V7 plants measuring 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall. The localized rain from significant pop-up storms over the past week made a noticeable difference. Many fields are either the “haves” or “have-nots” when it comes to rainfall. The two corn photos I posted above are from fields about two miles apart in DeKalb County, clearly illustrating how isolated some of these rain events have been. The rain on June 18 brought anywhere from 0.5 inch to more than 1 inch, depending on how far south you are through the Joliet region.

Soybeans are still slightly stunted from the drought but overall appear healthy. Most fields range between three and five trifoliates, and the added moisture should promote continued growth. I have not seen any early-season diseases, but I’ve noticed minor insect damage across most fields — nothing to write home about. Overall, fields have good stands and vigor and should grow out of the early-season stunting.

I didn’t have a chance to get into any wheat fields this week. The few I drove past and got a quick look at seem to be in Feekes stage 11, around dough stage, and are ripening nicely. I hope to scout for any late-season diseases by next week. With increased GDUs this week and the forecast calling for hotter temperatures, wheat should ripen nicely for an early July harvest.

Thank you to everyone doing your best rain dances! June started off with 1.1 inches of much needed rain as we are still in a D1 drought in northern IL with some areas in the freeport area reaching D2. As of Wednesday nearly of all of Northern IL received some moisture, with many areas averaging around 1 inch of rain. Plants around the region are emerged and are progressing through early vegetative states. Plants overall are a bit stunted from the lack of moisture, but should shoot up after the rain and with more rain in the forcast.

Corn: The crop is progressing along. Every field I saw has emerged with most fields ranging between V2 and V4 pushing V5 depending on planting date. Corn looks healthy and green with no disease seen yet.

Soybeans: Soybeans are anywhere between V1 and V3 and emerging uniformly across the region. They are healthy and green, with some areas seeing herbicide drift damage but the plants will grow out of this quickly.

Wheat: The crop is well on its way into Feekes 11 (ripening), or is in the very late stages of Feekes 10.5.3 (full anthesis). I have not seen much if any disease this season thus far with the continued dry weather. With the large rain on Wednesday and more predicted early next week disease may start to creep in with various head blights. Scouting will be your best defense of knowing what is in the field.

Overall the season is moving along quickly and we should be seeing some great growth over the next couple of weeks

The recent rains have brought some much needed relief for crops in the early growing season. Northern IL in general still remains in a D1 drought stemming from the dry winter and dry spring. The Dekalb area has received 1.5-2 inches of rain in the past week which has pushed the remaining fields in the region to emergence. May overall has brought under 5 inches of rain to date.

Corn has emerged in most if not all fields. The crop is ranging from VE to pushing V4. The early drought at planting along with cooler temperatures since emergence has stunted the corn slightly, but the crop has great vigor and is showing no signs of major drought stress currently. There are very few wet spots in fields and little to no disease or root rots in fields.

Soybeans are still emerging and pushing through in some of the no-till fields. Fields that have emerged are ranging from VE to V2 with second trifoliates unfolding. Beans overall look healthy with uniform emergence, and are showing no signs of drought or disease.

Wheat is at full head and growth stage Feeks 10.5.3, or full anthesis. The dry conditions have kept disease down overall and fields are looking clean. With the recent rain disease monitoring will continue as we scout for head scab and various seed blights.