With much of the east central IL region receiving at least 0.5″ of rain over the past week, soil moisture has rebounded back to optimal or ‘near normal’ levels in most fields, following a bit of a dry spell. In Douglas County, like much of the region, remnants of spring storms are still visible, but the remaining crop is overall healthy and progressing well. Disease and insect pressure continued to be low in the soybean fields I visited. Full season soybean fields are reaching R5, or beginning seed, on the most advanced end, and double crop soybeans are beginning to flower (R1-R2). Corn fields visited ranged from R2 (blister) to late R4 (dough), with closer to the more advanced end of that range. Aphids were present in a couple fields visited, although they seemed to be in isolated pockets within those fields. Similarly, isolated areas with leaf and stalk symptoms consistent with Physoderma brown spot/stalk rot could also be found in a couple of the fields surveyed.

I went south this week specifically on the lookout for any southern rust that might have made its way this far north, but I did not spot any pustules at this time. Once corn is past R4 (dough) growth stage, the available research shows a low likelihood of a fungicide providing a positive economic return (https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2020/01/southern-rust-in-corn-disease-development-and-fungicide-use.html). So, at this point in the season, most fields are past the point of concern and late planted fields or late maturing hybrids should be the focus of scouting efforts.

Corn and soybeans are progressing well in northern Vermilion County, as full-season crops are entering key grain fill stages. Impacts from wet weather early in the season can still be seen in low-lying fields, with uneven growth stage and canopy where the crop survived. Conditions have been a bit dryer in the region over the past several weeks, and surface soils are starting to crack. That said, crops do not appear to be experiencing much stress at this point, as they are likely able to access moisture deeper in the soil profile.

Most full-season soybean fields were somewhere in the pod development stages (R3-R4), and the few double-crop soybean fields I found were in the V2-V3 range. Disease and insect pressure still appeared to be low in most soybeans, but weeds were a different story in a handful of fields. Corn generally ranged from R1 (silking) to R3 (milk). I found a couple fields with some mild aphid pressure, and foliar symptoms of nitrogen deficiency could be found in the lower canopy in those areas affected by the early-season moisture and subsequent soil conditions. Foliar disease symptoms can also be found in these areas where plants are stressed, but healthy corn still looks relatively clean of foliar diseases.

Although the soil moisture conditions are more in the normal range now, the impacts of early-season excessive rains can still be seen in Effingham County. Crop maturity across the county is extremely variable, with some soybean fields containing no apparent wheat stubble still being in early vegetative growth. It was unclear if these fields were subject to full replants or just severely delayed plantings, but they are at a similar growth stage as double-crop soybeans, between VC and V2. The more advanced soybean fields are reaching beginning to full pod (R3-R4). Corn growth stage is also variable, but not quite as much as soybeans. While most corn observed in the area had flowered and is well into seed fill, there are still plenty of fields that can be found in late vegetative or early reproductive growth stages. The most advanced corn I found was well into the kernel “dough” stage (R4). I didn’t find any major disease issues during my survey. Timely weed control was definitely an issue for some fields, leading to incomplete control and waterhemp poking through soybean canopies.

Most corn and soybeans in Douglas County have progressed into flowering stages. The primary exceptions to this are areas of fields where early season inundation led to crop stunting as well as a handful of fields where planting was delayed due to wet conditions, which now contain soybeans. These fields, as well as the few wheat/double-crop soybean fields I found, have soybeans ranging from late VC to early V4. Corn that has entered reproductive growth is still in the early stages, generally R1 (silking) to early R2 (blister). Developing pods can be found in the lower canopy of many soybean fields (R3). Foliar disease issues still appear to be minimal in the county. Low spots in soybean fields still have a visibly lighter color as they try to recover from saturated soil conditions and possible soil-borne pathogen pressure. In corn, I found a couple fields with some Physoderma brown spot/stalk rot symptoms starting to show. This pathogen doesn’t generally cause economic losses, but it may be taken into consideration when prioritizing fields for harvest to minimize loss potential from lodging (https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/encyclopedia/physoderma-stalk-rot-of-corn).

Some hot summer weather this week and a break from the rain has helped dry many fields up enough for spraying and other field work to resume in southern Vermilion County. While there were still some low lying or poorly drained areas of fields with standing water as of my survey on Tuesday morning, most of the water had receded. Time will tell over the next few weeks how well the crop that remains will recover. Much of the corn in that part of the county is still in vegetative growth stages, generally ranging from V8-V14. I did find a couple fields that had started to show tassels, although no silk emergence quite yet. Most soybean fields visited had reached early flowering (R1), at least in parts of the field. The most advanced soybeans I found were beginning to form pods, entering early R3. Wheat harvest has started in that part of the county, but most wheat fields were still standing as of Tuesday morning.

Field conditions are still wet in northern Champaign County, with 2.5-3 inches of rain falling across most of that half of the county since June 17. A large proportion of fields I saw during my survey on Wednesday (6/24) morning had at least some low-lying and/or poorly drained areas with stunted, dying, or dead crop from the inundation those plants have experienced over the past couple of weeks. For the most part, these areas were relatively isolated in fields, and standing water is no longer present. However, I did see several fields with large areas of dead or stunted crop, some still with standing water. Relief from the wet conditions may still be a few days away, with more rain in the forecast for the remainder of this week. But drier conditions and warmer temperatures in next week’s forecast offer some hope.

Because of the generally wet conditions we had in this part of the state so far this season, crop progress is variable both across the area and across the field, in many cases. Healthy areas of corn fields are generally somewhere around V8, with some fields getting closer to the V10-V11 growth stages. Most soybean fields are still in vegetative growth stages, but I did find a handful of fields that have started to flower (R1) and a couple fields getting closer to full flower (R2). Wheat fields I checked were nearing full senescence with grain in the ‘ripening’ stage (Feekes 11.3) and could likely be harvested next week if the hot and dry forecast holds. As can be expected, weed control was variable across the area, with some fields presumably missing their timely post-emergence application windows due to the wet conditions. That said, I saw several sprayers on the roads while doing my survey, so at least some of those acres may get covered today or tomorrow, if the rain holds off long enough.

Although June started dry, the past 10 days have brought about several inches of rain to most of the east central Illinois region. Soil conditions in Iroquois County, as I conducted my survey on Tuesday (6/16) morning, were already on the wet side, with standing water prevalent, particularly in the southwest portion of the county. And since then, over the past couple days, the latest round of storms have brought another inch of rain or more. Most fields on higher ground with good drainage still looked healthy at the time of my survey, but unfortunately, there were some fields within areas where crop will be lost, either from lack of oxygen to the root or subsequent disease issues, and timely weed control operations will be difficult. Most soybeans in the county appeared to be in the V3-V5 range, but I didn’t see any flowers poking out quite yet. Corn fields were generally somewhere near V5-V7, with some early-planted fields are starting to grow more rapidly as they approach V10. The few wheat fields I visited were somewhere in the late milk to early dough stages (Feekes 11.1-11.2).

After a wet past four days in east central IL (2-3 inches so far in most areas), many fields in northern Vermilion County have standing water as of my survey on Thursday morning. For most fields, this is isolated to small, low lying areas and field edges. But in pockets of that part of the county, there are fields with relatively large areas underwater, at times with the young crop fully submerged. With more rain in the forecast over the next few days, it may be some time before those areas fully drain. As for crop progress, most corn was somewhere in the V4-V8 range, and most soybeans were V1-V3. The five wheat fields I found were all in the dough stage of kernel development (Feekes 11.2), and some minimal lodging could be seen along field edges and in low areas in a couple of those fields.

During my survey of Douglas County on Wednesday afternoon, I saw just a handful of fields yet to be planted, with planters rolling in a couple of them. Others were busy filling in some low spots of fields that failed to survive the wet conditions we experience in the area in late April and early May. Timely post-emergence herbicide applications were also being made, with most waterhemp seedlings in the area still small enough to effectively control. While most fields were planted, somewhere around 10% of fields did not yet have emerged crop. Soybean fields were generally in the V1-V2 range, with active nodules starting to form. Several fields were showing some damage on early leaves, likely related to the cool, moist conditions experienced during emergence and possibly compounded by increased duration of contact between those tissues and soil-applied pre-emergence or carryover herbicides. However, new growth looked healthy in most fields. Most corn was in the V3-V4 range, with some early-planted fields getting up to V8. Signs of side-dress nitrogen could be seen in several of those early-planted fields, with most of the more mature corn fields showing a nice dark green canopy. However, some of the corn fields in the V3-V5 range were showing uneven canopy color, possibly still waiting on some side-dress nitrogen.

The southern half of Champaign County has received more rain in the past month than the north half of the county and is therefore just a bit behind in overall crop progress. As I conducted my survey on Tuesday afternoon, the majority of fields had emerged crop, but most were still in early growth stages with few fields beyond V4 for either corn or soybean. The few wheat fields I saw were in the later stages of flowering (Feekes 10.5.2 – 10.5.4) or just moving into ripening (Feekes 11.1). Dryer conditions this past week have allowed for planting to continue and near completion in that part of the county. In the southeast part of the county in particular, I saw several areas of fields that were drowned out and have been replanted or will soon need a replant, but these areas were generally small and not too widespread. So far, the forecast for next week is looking dry and a bit warmer, which should help most farmers finish up planting and POST herbicide applications on early-planted fields.