Japanese beetles (Fig. 1) have been arriving throughout Illinois over the last couple of weeks, and are becoming pretty conspicuous in some areas. Our crops are well behind their usual progress when Japanese beetle emergence occurs, which could impact scouting and management decision making. Several of my colleagues recently wrote an in-depth article on the history, distribution and management of this pest1; you can read the full open-access article here. Some notes on management follow by cr...| farmdoc
This weather week reminded me why I love living in central Illinois. Average temperatures this week range from the low 60s in northern Illinois to the mid-70s in southern Illinois, between 2 and 8 degrees below normal. Some of the more impressive nighttime low temperatures this week include 41 in Illinois City and 44 in Springfield. Carbondale reached 45 degrees overnight this week, the lowest August temperature there since 1988. The cool weather has brought August to date temperatures closer...| farmdoc
The University of Illinois tent is about 1 block to the right of the Main Gate as you enter. You will see the large orange College of ACES banner on the end of the tent. Our stage schedule can be fluid. Here you’ll find today’s schedule. Other day’s are posted in the calendar at willag.org. I’m lookng forward to meeting you at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur. Todd Gleason — University of Illinois Tent Stage Daily Schedule Wednesday,…| farmdoc
The University of Illinois tent is about 1 block to the right of the Main Gate as you enter. You will see the large orance College of ACES banner on the end of the tent. Our stage schedule can be fluid. Here you’ll find today’s schedule. Other day’s are posted in the calendar at willag.org. I’m lookng forward to meeting you at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur. Todd Gleason — University of Illinois Tent Stage Daily Schedule Tuesday,…| farmdoc
We had one more week of warm and humid conditions, with temperatures between 4 and 8 degrees above normal. August to date has been around 2 to 4 degrees warmer than average statewide, and this summer so far is among the top 10 warmest in most places. What is notable about this hot summer, though, is the lack of extreme daytime high temperatures; and in fact only a handful of locations in Illinois have seen high temperatures reach into the triple digits this year.…| farmdoc
Steve Brand– Commercial Agriculture Specialist DeKalb CountySoil Condition: Near Normal After a wet couple of weeks up north we are all but back to normal precipitation levels for the season. Most areas across northern IL saw anywhere from 1-4 inches of rain depending on how many storms hit over the past weekend and have primed plants to finish strong through ear and pod fill. Disease has become much more prevalent as the rain has opened up and temperatures have dropped from the 90s.…| farmdoc
Steve Brand – Commercial Agriculture Specialist DeKalb County Soil Conditions: Near Normal Conditions over the past 2 weeks have reverted back to being dry with temperatures in the upper 80’s to low 90’s. The corn and soybeans have been progressing very quickly with the increased Growth Degree Units and just enough moisture. As we look at the drought map most of Northern IL remains in the D0 drought with a small area south of Chicago in a D1.…| farmdoc
It was back in the fire this week. Average temperatures ranged from the mid-70s to the low 80s, between 2 and 7 degrees above normal statewide. August to date has been around 1 degree above normal so far. The summer season so far has been the 5th warmest on record in Chicago, and the average nighttime low temperature in Peoria so far this summer is the highest since 1887. The extreme nighttime heat this summer is mostly thanks to persistently high humidity.…| farmdoc
Russ Higgins – Commercial Agriculture Educator Grundy CountySoil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed) This week Dr. Giovani Preza Fontes, assistant professor and Agronomy Extension Specialist from the University of Illinois visited the Grundy-Kendall County area and met with area producers where he shared expectations of both state and local yields. Farmers were provided with recent weather data and were encouraged to take kernel and population co...| farmdoc
You can also read the article in Portuguese and Spanish The Illinois corn crop got off to a good start in 2025, with good stands and good canopy color, aided by warm (after a cool spell in late May) and dry conditions in June. Still, crop ratings have been average so far, similar to those in the previous five years except for 2023, when very low June ratings rebounded after rainfall. On August 10,…| farmdoc
We all breathed a sigh of relief at our much more comfortable temperatures last weekend and early next week. Temperatures in the first full week of August ranged from the low 60s in northern Illinois to the mid-70s in southern Illinois, between 1 and 5 degrees below normal. Some of the more impressive nighttime low temperatures included 49 degrees in Stockton and 50 in McHenry. The cooler and less humid air came with a break from precipitation this week as well.…| farmdoc
Emily Hansen – Commercial Agriculture Educator LaSalle County Soil Conditions: Mildly Wet (soil is wetter than normal, local vegetation is healthy) The heat and humidity has finally broken today after what feels like a very miserable few weeks. Over the past week rainfall in LaSalle, Bureau, Marshall, and Putnam counties has been sporadic, with some areas seeing nearly 6 inches and others seeing less than an inch. Crops in areas that received less rainfall are still looking a little heat st...| farmdoc
Southern rust of corn, caused by the fungus Puccinia polysora, has recently been confirmed in counties of Indiana and Kentucky bordering southern Illinois. While not yet confirmed in Illinois this season, its proximity makes it important to stay alert, scout actively, and be prepared to manage the disease if it arrives. Recognizing Southern Rust Southern rust produces small, orange to light-brown pustules typically found on the upper surface of corn leaves, often concentrated in the upper can...| farmdoc
Kathryn Seebruck – Commercial Agriculture Educator Winnebago County Soil Conditions: Mildly Dry (soil is drier than normal, plant growth may have slowed) Across much of the area, there are entire fields of soybeans exhibiting cupping. The widespread nature of the symptom could point to environmental stress as the cause, potentially from hot and dry conditions over the past week and a half. Many soybean fields are still not canopied. Corn has greatly increased in height recently due to the a...| farmdoc
Emily Hansen – Commercial Agriculture Educator LaSalle/Putnam County Soil Conditions: Near Normal Fields in LaSalle County have dried out a bit over the last week, with only minimal rainfall over the weekend. At the IVCC + Extension Research and Demonstration Plots corn is nearing V5 and soy V1-2. Other fields scouted in LaSalle County have V6 corn and V2-3 soybeans. One soybean field that was scouted showed signs of root rot, potentially Phytophthora.…| farmdoc
