News

Illinois harvest rolls on

The USDA says dry weather allowed Illinois harvest progress to make a jump.

Vermillion County farmer B.J. DeAth says his soybean harvest is complete.

“I’m happy with yields.”  He says, “Moisture on the corn is kind of right where I want it, so we should be able to just walk right through it.”

The latest weekly crop progress and condition report shows 49% of the corn crop is harvested, up 17% over last week, and 5% ahead of the five-year average.  Sixty two percent of the soybean crop is harvested, 20% ahead of last week, and 15% ahead of normal.  DeAth tells Brownfield…

“It would have been hard to top last year, but so far what I’ve done is kind of hanging right in there with last year’s yields,” he says.

Ninety seven percent of the state’s corn crop is mature, which is 8% ahead of average. 

Ninety three percent of soybeans are dropping leaves, 2% ahead of normal.

Pasture conditions are 29% rated poor to very poor, and winter wheat planting reached 33%, with 9% emerged, compared to 39% planted on average.

Fifty eight percent of Illinois topsoil moistures were rated short or very short as of Sunday.