We Need Rain in Central Illinois
Trent Brandenburg is watching every cloud. If it even gives a few drops of rain, he will want it to back up and try again. Trent sees his corn and soybean plants mostly off to a good start. The fields that did not get ponded by a recednt 5-inch rain are in need of a timely rain now to keep the growth going. His corn plants were planted early enough to get their root systems deep enough to get moisture from below the top layer of soil which is well dried from lack of rain.
This is the problem with the soybean fields Trent had to replant after the ponding drowned out the first seeding. The replanted soybeans are not germinating well due to the very top layer of soil being so dry. The 90-degree temperatures stress plants in dry soil. Today’s (June 1, 2023) Illinois drought map https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?IL shows moderate drought over most of east central Illinois.
More from The Field Report
From Drought To Ponding And Replanting
In barely months, Trent's challenges have gone from extreme drought to repeated ponding and replanting. Trent has replanted some corn and soybeans twice, only to have the ponding return yet again. "I don't think I will try to replant corn [...]
Corn And Soybean Planting Done, Some Germinated, More To Come
Trent Brandenburg is happy to have completed his corn and soybean planting by the 15th of May. "It's slow," he said, commenting on the germination delay by the recent cool temperatures. Moderately heavy rains the last few days have caused [...]
Worked Some Fields, With A Sunny Day Could Begin Planting
Trent Brandenburg has "worked a couple of fields, they're barely ready" after several days of rain last week. "If we get a sunny day tomorrow I could plant some," Trent continued. The long-standing extreme drought in central Illinois has been [...]