Corn, soybeans, and wheat are all quickly progressing. Some early-planted corn crops are already waist high, greatly preceding the old “knee high by the 4th of July” saying. Recent rainfall events as well as tornadic winds have resulted in lodged corn in some fields. Precipitation that came along with the storms was needed in these counties but came so quickly that some fields were ponding again. Wheat fields have turned and will be harvested soon.

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.

After a week of high temperatures and little rainfall, Wednesday (6/10) storms brought over an inch of rain to many parts of the County. This will be followed by another round of storms on 6/11. Despite the heavy winds and tornado reports from the 6/10 storms, there does not appear to be much wind damage to crops in much of the County.

The recent heat has caused crops to quickly grow. If you listen closely, you can hear the corn growing. Soybeans are starting to try to canopy and just started to flower (R1). No major pests or diseases seen at this time. We have been blessed with an almost weekly rain. There are still areas in the county that have not been planted or just recently planted or replanted due to heavy rains.

Although the entire month of May saw just under an inch of rain in total, the beginning of June has brought some relief with over two inches of rain deposited thus far with more on the way (based on data from the Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring Program Freeport station – your mileage may vary!).

Stephenson County is the home of the first reported population of Asian copperleaf in Illinois (https://extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/novel-illinois-weed-species-asian-copperleaf-identified-northern-illinois). Although originally thought to be a late emerging weed typically not noticed until after harvest, seedlings have already been emerging over the last couple of weeks. When scouting prior to making post emergence herbicide applications, keep an eye out for Asian copperleaf. For help with identification, see the attached photos as well as the Asian copperleaf fact sheet from Illinois Extension at https://extension.illinois.edu/media/9233/download?inline.

If you suspect you have Asian copperleaf, please contact Kathryn Seebruck at 815-986-4357 or seebruck@illinois.edu. Reports can also be made at https://www.eddmaps.org/.

Weather continues to be the story for our region. Luckily, the week of May 31st, we were able to have a productive week in the fields spraying post emergence corn and soybean herbicide applications along with dry fertilizer top dress applications. The week of June 7th has been surrendered due to unpredictable precipitation and severe weather events throughout the region. Flash flooding has been a concern with rainfall totals nearing 10 inches in parts of our region. With this heavy rainfall and saturated soils, many fields have corn leaning. Weeds continue to be a problem and a concern in our crop fields, with the uncertainty of when we will be able to return to post herbicide applications. Corn growth and development have skyrocketed these past few weeks, with high humidity and warmer temperatures driving growth. Soybeans seem to be taking off as well, but 30-inch rows are a way away from canopy. Lightning bugs indicate scouting for corn rootworm will be necessary in the coming weeks. With the heavy rain this past week, it was a perfect opportunity for us to take a couple of days to support and connect with our local FFA section and chapters at the 98th Illinois FFA State Convention.