Early this morning, a storm went through and left 7 tenths of an inch of rain at the Orr Research Center outside of Perry, IL. Many crop acres were planted early to mid April and appear to be doing well. Corn that was planted the week of April 8 is at the V1-V2 growth stage while soybeans planted that same week have their unifoliate leaves unrolled.

Most acres still unplanted. This V4 corn is by far the largest I’ve seen. Other emerged corn is spiking-V2 at most. Have seen no beans emerged yet.

Reports of alfalfa weevil have been coming in pretty consistently for the last several weeks; we’ve now received reports as far north as Rockford. If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to scout your alfalfa – look for defoliation (alfalfa weevil is the most likely culprit at this early stage) and confirm the continued presence of the small, green larvae before taking action. If you have a serious infestation and are in position to do so, consider cutting early to reduce the potential for further damage. Insecticide options are somewhat limited, and failures with lambda-cyhalothrin have been reported this spring.

Planting and field work continues where conditions allow. Slowly chipping away at getting the 2024 crop in the ground.

Unfortunately, very little to report this week, but I believe most of the surrounding areas of Champaign County are in the same situation. The good news is, we have warmer temperatures, so even as it rains, it will dry the top soil out quicker than when it was cooler. Stay patient with the soil. If you can, allow it to dry to ideal conditions for planting to avoid sidewall compaction when you plant or overall compaction.

Crop that is planted and up looks to be variable based on moisture levels in the fields. Higher ground looks good and uniform. Low areas may be drown out or still yet to emerge.