Crop Tour Preview: Illinois Corn A Tale Of Extreme Variability
The yield outlook for the Illinois corn crop is one of extremes as farmers eye the production finish line for this season, now that pollination has concluded.
“Illinois is a big state from north to south, and there's a tremendous amount of variation out there, especially in corn,” says Dennis Bowman, Extension Educator Commercial Agriculture-Field Crops, University of Illinois.
In the northern part of the state, Bowman says significant dry weather has hampered the corn crop, which led to slow emergence and growth this season.
“It’s probably going to struggle to be an average crop,” he says.
Drought continues to be an issue in northern Illinois, with a number of counties named by USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack as disaster areas. The counties include: Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will and Winnebago counties.
Farmers in those counties may want to check with the USDA Service Center to see if they are eligible for disaster assistance.
A Better Outlook
Moving to central Illinois, Bowman says the corn crop there is in very good to excellent condition.
“With the exception of some pockets that got heavy rain in June and early July, especially in the Bloomington area, it’s looking like a big crop on those excellent prairie fields,” he says.
The one caveat in central Illinois is for those farmers who have poor drainage or field topography that encouraged standing water. “There are some drowned-out spots that resulted from the heavy rains we had,” Bowman says.
In southern Illinois, most corn and soybean farmers are experiencing an excellent growing season, thanks to timely rains.
“It’s raining right now, and we’re glad to have it,” John R. Thompson told AgWeb on Monday morning.
Thompson, who farms land within a 14-mile radius of Lawrenceville, in Lawrence County, Ill., says both his dryland and irrigated crops look outstanding.
“I would have to say that in our area, we're going to have one of the best crops that I think we've ever had. If not the best, it's going to be up there,” Thompson says.
While the Illinois corn crop is in the home stretch of development, Dennis Bowman points out that soybean growth and development are ramping up.
He says August is a significant month for soybean growth in Illinois. “The crop is setting and filling pods, so we have a ways to go with development,” he says.
Ultimately, Bowman adds, temperatures and rainfall between now and harvest will impact the trend for corn and soybean yields across the state.
The USDA Report
As of Aug. 2, USDA reported that 68% of the Illinois corn crop was in good to excellent condition. That compares to 72% of the total U.S. corn crop with those condition ratings.
USDA reported that 67% of the Illinois soybean crop was in good to excellent condition. Soybean blooming was at 87%, compared to a five-year average of 82%. Fifty-nine percent of the crop had set pods, compared to a five-year average of 52%.
USDA will release its next Crop Production and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) on Thursday, August 12.
August 17: Coming to A Field Near You
This year, Pro Farmer Crop Tour scouts will be in Illinois fields on Aug. 17, checking crop conditions and making their annual yield projections.
The Pro Farmer Crop Tour provides insights into potential corn and soybean production and gathers scout reports from 2,000-plus fields across seven states – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota.
“USDA’s corn and soybean crop ratings show there’s a great divide between the areas where rains have been prevalent and the areas that have been dry,” says Pro Farmer Editor and Eastern Tour Director Brian Grete. “Crop Tour will give us a first-hand look at whether the good areas are enough to compensate for the poorer locations. This is a service we provide to the industry, and anyone with interest can tune into our live-streamed coverage each night of the tour.”
In 2020, scouts on the tour logged a 189.4 bu. per acre average for corn in Illinois. The tour three-year average for corn yields in Illinois is 184.4 bu. per acre.
The final USDA corn yield for Illinois in 2020 was 192 bu. per acre.
Register and attend nightly meetings in person or watch the nightly broadcast live at 7 p.m. Central each night where you’ll receive daily results, scouting observations and historical comparison data from our tour leaders.
Pricing
Online Nightly Broadcast – Free
Attend In-Person Tour nightly meeting - $40 per person (includes 2 drink tickets and dinner)
Register Now for Crop Tour
