Despite June temperatures averaging near normal across Illinois, weather conditions shifted dramatically during the second half of the month. The main question now is how much yield potential was lost under these conditions…
Author: Giovani Preza Fontes
Early-season crop progress and conditions – June 2026
Despite some wet and cold periods in April and May across parts of Illinois, the 2026 corn and soybean crops were planted at a near-normal pace. Soybean planting began early and remained ahead of corn planting throughout the season, with 7% of the soybean crop planted by April 7 (5% above the five-year average for 2021-2025) and 50% planted by May 5. The first NASS report for corn indicated 1% planted by April 5 and 50% planted by May 10…
Update on corn planting progress and prospects
Even with this recent slowdown, Illinois soybean is ahead of most of the Corn Belt, with 57% of the soybean crop planted by May 10, up 11 percentage points from the previous week. This is also well ahead of both last year (48%) and the five-year average (47% for 2021-2025). Corn planting has also progressed at a near-normal pace, with 54% planted by May 10, up 16 percentage points from last week.
What to watch as soybean planting begins in 2026
March was wetter than normal across much of Illinois, with statewide precipitation averaging 4.85 inches, 1.91 inches above normal. The wet trend continued into the first two weeks of April, particularly in northern Illinois, which has received between 3 and 5 inches of rainfall since April 1…
The 2025 growing season in Illinois: good but not great
The 2025 growing season in Illinois delivered another storyline characterized by sharp weather contrasts, average crop condition ratings, some disease pressure in places, and very good — if not record-setting — yields in many, but not all, areas. As we have seen before, crops showed their ability to translate good mid-season conditions to good yields even with very dry late-season conditions…
Evaluating soybean performance in conservation systems – project update
This project aimed to evaluate whether growers can maintain productivity and profitability while using reduced tillage and cover crops, systems that protect soil but are often perceived as risky. A second objective was to understand whether starter fertilizer (nitrogen + sulfur) could offset early-season challenges in these systems, such as cool soils, heavy residue, and slower early growth.
Double-crop soybean management practices – project summary
There is a growing interest in wheat/soybean double-cropping systems in Illinois, extending into parts of central Illinois where wheat acreage has been limited in recent decades. This article summarizes findings from field trials evaluating management practices for double-crop soybean in central Illinois
The 2025 soybean crop as we approach harvest
While August rainfall is the “soybean maker,” July rainfall is also important to the podsetting process that sets up yield potential. July rainfall was plentiful overall in Illinois, but varied from an inch or two less than normal in parts of southern Illinois to more than twice normal amounts in western and northwestern Illinois…
Another bin-busting corn year in Illinois approaches maturity
It was no surprise to see the 2025 corn yield projected at 222 bushels for Iowa, but it was surprising to see 221 bushels projected for Illinois. Ihe US yield is predicted to be 188.8 bushels per acre, 9.5 bushels higher than the previous yield record, set in 2024. So, while 2025 is set to be a great year for corn, we will consider here what it will take to achieve such high yields and what might prevent them from reaching such high levels, at least in some places…
Nitrogen fertilizer and soybean yield: what we learned from multi-year trials in Illinois
With high yield potential and with seed high in protein (38–40%), the soybean crop requires a lot of N—roughly 4.5 lb of N per bushel, with about 3.5 lb of that removed with the grain. A 60-bushel soybean crop (similar to the current Illinois average) would need approximately 270 lb of N per acre, while an 80-bushel crop, which is not uncommon today, needs to accumulate about 360 lb of N…