Eastern IL Roadtrip

Yesterday I took a road trip thru eastern Illinois and reported crop progress on twitter. Overall crops looked good, but there were some signs of too much water just about everywhere except along US 50. Over all, 85% of the corn crop appeared to be mature. I only saw 10 acres harvested east of Charleston. In a few places it was still not turning at all, especially south of Paris to Marshall where only about half the corn was mature. North of Olney, some of the corn was completely brown. I suspect it is dried down and harvest of dry corn could begin Monday. Along US 50 from Lawrenceville to Olney, corn showed some drought stress. The lack of moisture was most evident in trees that were starting to turn yellow. Even with the dry weather, I would guess yields will be average in corn and good in soybeans. Crops looked worst on the Effingham to Hillsboro leg. Stands are uneven and low spots are drowned out. There are lots of late beans in that area too.

Overall the soybean crop looked good. Only a few fields were turning yellow. In a test plot near Charleston one variety was turning. Many others have reported Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) to be very prevalent. I did not see any SDS. I suspect an excellent soybean crop overall. Rains have been timely if not somewhat excessive. Right now there is enough or more than enough moisture to fill pods nicely. If you followed me yesterday, thanks.