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.

We had a few corn leaf aphid reports, but nothing approaching what we saw last year; those should be winding down as most of the crop progresses well into the reproductive stages. I’ve received several identification requests for the redheaded flea beetle, so I thought I would share a photo. These have been easy to find this year in both corn and soybeans; every few years, we see abnormally high numbers. As you can see from the picture, they resemble the corn flea beetle (the vector of Stewart’s wilt), but they are much larger—maybe 3/16″ to 1/4″ long—and have a reddish-brown head, as the name suggests. While they will feed on corn and soybean foliage and can be found quite easily in corn silks, I’ve never seen them approach economically damaging levels.

Both corn and soybean crops look great right now, with plentiful moisture from rains throughout most of July. This is keeping the crop green and mostly healthy, with the exception of corn leaf diseases coming in and an array of soybean feeders as well. I believe that growers who decided to spray fungicides this season will be happy with that choice. I worry about fields that were not sprayed. Unfortunately, I also see enough disease coming back in now that a second application may become necessary due to increasing tar spot and other diseases. Our saving grace will be that the corn crop is maturing at a rapid pace.

Both corn and soybeans are progressing well so far in Edgar County. Soils in most fields surveyed were starting to get dry, with cracks forming and minimal moisture in the top 3–4 inches. At the time of my survey in the afternoon of 8/5, small pop-up showers were in the area, but they provided minimal relief. Of the corn fields surveyed, most are in the late R4 (“dough”) to early R5 (“dent”) stage, with a couple of fields still in the late R3 (“milk”) to early R4 (“dough”) stages. Relatively minor tip dieback—presumably due to recent moisture stress—was prevalent in many, but not all, fields surveyed. Foliar and stalk diseases are starting to show up, but pressure still appears minimal at this time.

Soybean fields surveyed were primarily in the R4 (“full pod”) to R5 (“beginning seed”) stages, with some stragglers still in the R3 (“beginning pod”) stage. Again, no major signs of disease are showing up yet in the soybean fields surveyed. Japanese beetle feeding was easy to find, although it was still below recommended thresholds for control (https://farmdoc.illinois.edu/field-crop-production/insects/japanese-beetle-management-guidelines.html).

I focused this week’s crop report on the double-crop soybeans during my travels to southern Illinois, where my parents live. Due to a wet June and early July, the soybeans planted after wheat went in under less-than-ideal conditions. Most of the fields I walked or drove by are around 80–85% emerged. This made weed control tougher, and yields will likely be below average due to only 80–85% of the plants emerging in these fields. Waterhemp is a main issue in all soybeans. Early rainfall did not allow pre-emerge herbicides to do their job, and some fields unfortunately were not sprayed and relied solely on a post-emergence application. Even with these weed issues, overall the soybeans and corn crop look really good for southwest Illinois this time of year.

Subsoil moisture is still not adequate. Overall, we are one rain away from a fantastic finish on our beans. Most bean fields have some waterhemp or ragweed popping through in some capacity.