Fall harvest is running on all eight cylinders around here. Almost everyone is cutting soybeans, and the harvest dust proves it! They are coming out pretty dry, too — I’ve heard moistures under 10% are common.

Corn harvest is ramping up as some producers are beginning to get soybeans finished. All the corn I’ve checked has black-layered now and has lost all of its green color.

As I complete this report, the temperature is flirting with the 90-degree mark… in October! It has been dry over the last two weeks. There’s a slight chance of rain starting 10/6, but when it has been as warm and dry as this, I won’t believe it until I see it.

Field crews should continue to take extra precautions to prevent and contain fires. It seems there are a few reported around the state each day. Keep your head on a swivel and look out for one another out there. Be safe!!

Harvest is officially underway around here. That said, I did have to look around quite a while in today’s travels to find a crew actively cutting soybeans. I did see a few fields that had been taken out in the last several days. Most soybeans are anywhere from 75–100% leaf drop now, with some stem lodging present in almost all of them. Fortunately, they haven’t lodged far enough to be difficult for the combine. I’m cautiously optimistic about soybean yields—many fields probably could have benefited from another inch or two of rain in August, but I was able to find quite a few 4-bean pods now that leaves have dropped.

Much of the corn in the area still has some green in the leaves, but it is fading fast. Some fields have black layered already, and others are almost there. In the fields I’ve visited I have not seen much tip back on ears, which gives me hope that corn yields are going to be average to above average in the area. I’m still a bit worried about stalk quality and standability in some fields, but the ears are looking pretty good.

I’m telling all the farmers I speak with to take extra precautions and have safety briefs with their harvest crews. A dry harvest season obviously brings enhanced risk of fires. Know where your fire extinguishers are, and if you can have a piece of tillage equipment staged onsite and ready to cut fire breaks if needed, DO IT!

Onward! Corn and soybeans both are marching toward season’s end. Fields in my area are really starting to have that “late-season” look this week. Much cooler temperatures arrived on 9/3, and daytime highs in the mid-60s really made it feel like fall. Walking through corn, I’ve noticed a significant uptick in foliar disease across the board. Some fields are showing quite a bit of GLS, and others NCLB, on and above the ear. Most notable to me, however, was the amount of late tar spot I’ve seen. Natural leaf firing from the bottom is a normal part of filling out the ear, but there’s a difference between that and earlier-than-normal leaf death from the culmination of tar spot plus two to three other leaf diseases. I’ve been in some fields that really need to be watched closely as harvest approaches, and I hope they don’t get a significant wind event. Stalks in the worst fields are already weak and prone to breaking just by crossing rows. Most ears look good and are well into dent stage, with milk lines ranging from ¼ to ¾. I expect black layer to be a couple of weeks away yet in most fields.

Soybeans are mostly into the full seed stage, and you can see the leaves beginning to yellow. Early-maturity fields are into leaf drop now, and some are probably 50–60% dropped. Pockets of Sudden Death Syndrome are beginning to show up a little more, but it does not appear to be as widespread as in some years. I have not seen any red crown rot in my area. Cooler overnight temperatures have led to some very heavy dews in the mornings. Lingering moisture on green leaves, plus a blue sky and sunshine, has caused a fair amount of sunscald on the bean leaves, but at this point I would not expect that to have any significant impact on the plant.

In my field survey this week, most of the soybeans staged anywhere from mid- to late R3 to mid R5. Fields seem to have done well setting pods, though I was not seeing many four-bean pods at this point. Corn was staging from mid- to late blister (R2) through late milk (R3). Developing ears are beginning to reach a respectable size, and the silks are browning and drying in the fields that are farther along.

We are getting a reprieve from some of the heat we experienced over the last couple of weeks, with daytime highs in the mid to upper 80s and overnight lows now forecast to be in the upper 60s to low 70s. We even had a few nights dip into the upper 50s. These comfortable overnight temperatures provide the crops with a much-needed break from the heat and sunshine during the day, allowing them to fill ears and pods at a better pace—hopefully improving test weight.

The area is still behind on moisture, but rains over the weekend have certainly helped reduce some stress during this critical period for both corn and soybeans. Early-planted soybeans are setting pods well so far and can be staged at mid- to late R3 through R4 at this time. Later-planted beans range from mid- to late full bloom (R2) to mid-R3. Most of the corn has pushed into pollination or has completed pollination. Most fields I’ve been in are staging early to mid-blister (R2). Later-planted fields are just starting to tassel and show good silks.

A light shower last weekend and nearly an inch of rain in the first couple of days this week took the edge off for the crop in most of my immediate area. The high temperatures and high humidity are pushing the corn along pretty fast now. Visible plant stress is minimal, especially after the shot of rain we got. Some spotty hail managed to poke a few holes in the beans in certain areas, but the corn is largely unscathed. Most soybean fields have now received their post-emergent herbicide passes—the fields that haven’t are pretty obvious from the road. Farmers and retailers are working diligently to get those taken care of, as we’ll be into corn pollination and fungicide season before we know it.

Most of the 2025 crop has emerged in the last 3 weeks. Stands look good by and large. Some of the early fields did get a bit of crust and needed a hoe in the absence of a timely rain. Corn stages range from V5 on the first planted fields to VE-V1. Soybeans are mostly VE to VC but we do see some trifoliate leaves here and there. The cool temps over the last 10 days or so have slowed crop growth across the board potentially negating some of the advantage of early planting. Warmer weather is in the forecast but not much rain.

Corn and soybean planting in northern LaSalle county both seem to be 60-70% completed with some producers having all their soybeans planted and are now focused on the corn. I’m expecting to see most producers in the area to wrap up planting most of the 2025 crop in the next 2 weeks- maybe less.

Field work of all types is underway. The last 2 days of 30+mph wind has hampered spraying operations but spring tillage and planting operations are continuing.