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Illinois crops drying quickly as harvest picks up steam

A central Illinois farmer says it’s going to be a quick harvest, if the weather cooperates.

Matt Bennett, who grows corn and soybeans in Shelby County, says moisture in both crops is dropping rapidly due to the extended late season heat.

“We’ve been shocked with how quickly it’s dried down for us.”  He says, “Everything’s gonna be ready all at once again this year, so it’s definitely gonna be a challenge.”

He tells Brownfield that he’s just begun harvest, but he’s optimistic.

“Definitely not a record, but at these prices, it’s not bad whatsoever.”  He says, “We definitely had too much rain in the month of June, probably lost some nitrogen. But yeah, our corn yields will probably be APH, maybe a little bit better than APH. Soybeans look like they’re going to be quite a bit better.”

Bennett says he expects most farmers will be doing a lot of switching back and forth from corn to soybean harvest as they try to find crops at optimal moisture levels.

As of Sunday, the USDA says 8% of Illinois corn and 4% of soybeans are harvested.

AUDIO: Matt Bennett – Illinois farmer