After a week of some welcomed dryer weather, and perhaps less welcome heat, the crop in southern Vermilion County is progressing quickly towards maturity.

Most soybean fields in that part of the county were somewhere in the full seed (R6) growth stage, with a couple fields starting to drop leaves and close in on beginning maturity (R7). Some pockets with disease issues could be found and are relatively easy to spot at this point in the season, as they tend to be a bit stunted and yellowing/dropping leaves faster than surrounding areas. But for the most part, most fields are relatively clean of disease as they near maturity.

Most corn fields are somewhere in the dent (R5) stage. I did not find any kernels at black layer in the fields I surveyed, but there were at least a couple fields that were very close. As these fields senesce, more foliar disease can be seen in the canopy as well. Even if it won’t impact this year’s management decisions, now is a good time to scout your fields to determine how well your disease management plan worked this year. Over time, these observations can help you determine which diseases may be more prevalent in certain fields as well as help you determine the influence of genetic resistance in your chosen hybrids to different diseases. Another reason to scout now is to asses the levels of stalk rot and lodging in your fields. I found a couple fields during my survey with some localized lodging due to crown and stalk rots. The use of drones or recent satellite imagery, if you have access, may help to assess extent and severity of lodging and help with prioritization of harvest activities.

I visited Ford County this week, and like Champaign County, flooded conditions have returned to areas affected earlier this growing season. The flooding seemed to be a bit worse in the southern part of the county and improved as I traveled north, which is consistent with precipitation estimates from MRCC and rain gauge data from ISWS and CoCoRaHs from the past couple of weeks. To some extent, the flooded areas are already absent of a crop due to early-season flooding. But in a number of fields I stopped at, the current flooding extended into previously healthy crop. That crop is now either dead or has signs of stress, disease, and early senescence, leading to incomplete grain fill, low seed weights, and potential grain quality issues.

In fields or areas not affected by the flooding, soybeans are at or near full seed (R6). Soybean canopies, for the most part, were still relatively clean of disease, but a minority of fields do have some disease symptoms starting to show in patches. Disease symptoms were a bit more prevalent in corn fields visited, primarily gray leaf spot and northern corn leaf blight, but severity was still relatively low, overall. Corn was generally somewhere in the dent (R5) growth stage, getting close to black layer in a handful of fields.

Wet conditions have returned to much of central IL. Following a bit of a dry spell in late July and early August, the Illinois Soil and Water Survey’s weather station in Champaign has registered more than 8 inches of rain over the past 9 days. The recent storms also brought high winds and a tornado in the southwestern portion of Champaign County, near Giblin, leaving pockets of crop damage (mostly corn) in that area. Standing water is also back in low areas of some fields. Many of these areas were already absent of crop due to the same issues earlier in the growing season, but standing water could also be seen in some areas where the crop had survived that early-season stress.

Wind damage appeared to decrease as I continued toward Sadorus and Tolono during my survey of southern Champaign County, although the flooding in low-lying areas persisted. Corn conditions were a bit variable. Many fields still look healthy and green, but some corn fields are starting to “fire”, or lose color in their lower canopy, indicating remobilization of nutrients from those tissues to the developing ear. Most fields range from the late dough (R4) to dent (R5) growth stages; I didn’t find any fields at black layer, or full maturity (R6), quite yet. Some fields are starting to show more symptoms of foliar disease, primarily gray leaf spot, but also some northern corn leaf blight. But with those fields generally at early dent (R5) or later, the level of disease observed is unlikely to have a large impact on yield.

Soybean conditions are also starting to look more variable in the area. Again, many fields are looking healthy with a dense, green canopy and full pods, at or nearing the full seed (R6) growth stage. But some fields are starting to show areas with yellowing leaves, indicating some kind of disease issue. In a couple of those fields, I collected plants and split stems to identify pith symptoms characteristic of brown stem rot. This may also be the issue in other fields I observed with similar foliar symptoms, but there are a number of diseases that often present similar foliar symptoms that may be difficult to differentiate and properly diagnose in the field. Resources are available from the Crop Protection Network to help with identifying these diseases (https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/publications/scouting-for-soybean-stem-diseases), and samples can always be submitted to The Plant Clinic (https://extension.illinois.edu/plant-clinic) to get a lab diagnosis. Having an accurate diagnosis is essential for selecting resistant varieties and developing a successful integrated pest management plan for future growing seasons.

As of Wednesday (8/12) afternoon, the crop in southern McLean County was still standing and, for the most part, looking healthy following the storm system that moved through a couple hours prior to my survey. As I write this the following day, another strong storm system is moving through the region bringing more heavy rain and high winds, so I am uncertain if that has changed the crop conditions in that part of the county.

Soybeans in southern McLean County are primarily in the beginning seed (R5) growth stage, ranging from full pod (R4) to early full seed (R6), and are still relatively free of disease or insect issues. Corn is reaching late dough (R4) and early dent growth stages (R5). Remobilization of nutrients from lower leaves is starting to pick up pace in some corn fields that are a bit closer to maturity or in areas of fields affected by early-season wet conditions. Diseases, such as gray leaf spot and Physoderma brown spot, were present in a few of the fields visited, but still no sign of tar spot or southern rust in the fields surveyed. Both have been identified in neighboring counties, Livingston for tar spot and Champaign for southern rust. So, it is possible that those diseases are in the McLean County, but still at low levels. Counties where tar spot and southern rust have been identified can be seen on Crop Lookout from the Crop Protection Network. Links to that resource as well as more information about managing these diseases can be found in the following articles from Extension Field Crop Pathologist, Dr. Boris Camiletti.

Tar spot – https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2025/07/tar-spot-on-the-move-tracking-and-managing-an-established-corn-threat-in-illinois.html

Southern rust – https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2025/07/tar-spot-on-the-move-tracking-and-managing-an-established-corn-threat-in-illinois.html

To report either of these diseases in your area, email photos directly to Dr. Camiletti at bxc@illinois.edu and/or submit samples to the Plant Clinic (https://extension.illinois.edu/plant-clinic).

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.