In Illinois, pollination is currently underway for 39% of the corn crops. Piatt County farmer Jim Reed noted varying stages of progress in different areas, stating, “There are some tassels in our area. It kind of depends. Some folks that planted beans first and then corn, they’re not quite to tassel yet, but the guys that went ahead and planted corn first, there’s a lot of tassels out.”
The USDA’s latest weekly crop progress and condition report indicates positive trends, with 67% of corn rated in good to excellent condition, marking a 2% increase from the previous week. Similarly, 66% of soybeans are to be in good shape. Reed echoed these observations, commenting, “Looks good. I mean, we got a lot of flowering going on. You know the 15- and 20-inch row stuff in the neighborhood has pretty well closed in the row and the 30-inch stuff is pretty close, but everything looks really healthy.”
Soybean blooming has reached 43%, surpassing the average of 24%, with 9% of soybeans already setting pods. Meanwhile, the winter wheat harvest stands at 93% complete, exceeding the five-year average of 85%.
In terms of pasture and range conditions, 65% are rated good to excellent, and the second cutting of alfalfa hay is 49% complete. However, concerns remain as 33% of the state’s topsoil moisture is rated very short to short.
The ongoing progress across Illinois reflects a promising outlook for the agricultural sector, underpinned by favorable conditions for both corn and soybeans amidst the current growing season.
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