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Planting season off to a measured start in central IL

A pair of central Illinois farmers say the 2025 planting season is off to a measured start in their area.

Ron Kindred, who grows corn and soybeans in Logan County, tells Brownfield, “A lot of anhydrous got put on in the last couple of weeks here, and a lot of field work has been done.”  He says, “There’s been some beans put in the ground. We have not planted any yet. We were kind of waiting to see what kind of rain we got.”

Mark Bunselmeyer grows row crops in Macon County and says he’s ready to start planting now that he’s in the federal crop insurance window.

“If the ground is suitable, I’m comfortable going out there and putting beans in early.”  He says, “I usually wait a little bit longer until we’ve got a more of a steady diet of warmer days before we start tinkering around with corn.”

Kindred says recent storms have halted any field activity, but the moisture is needed.

“We got an inch and six tenths out of this last system that went through without any big damage, but we needed that rain because we were really, really dry,” he says.

Kindred says current forecasts show a potential planting window after April 10^th, which he says should lead to more widespread planting progress.

AUDIO: Ron Kindred – Illinois farmer