Dry Weather Hastens Harvest
September in central Illinois was one-to-three-inches short of average rainfall. Trent Brandenburg took full advantage of the natural drydown and good field conditions to get his crops from the field to the bin. Trent has completed his soybean harvest. He estimated “about three days” to complete his corn harvest (from Friday, October 25, 2024). Trent described his yields as “good to average.” The “average” fields got a bad start from the wet May, both from delayed planting, and poor growing conditions after germination due to waterlogged soils. Careful crop management helped the plants thrive and produce adequate yields despite the poor start.
Southern Illinois got some heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The central and northern part of Illinois are
in moderate drought; severe drought in the northwest 4-5 counties. The soil moisture measurements in Champaign showed record high levels (wet) in May, then dropped to record low (dry) levels at the 8-inch depth in July and today.
More from The Field Report
Dry Weather Hastens Harvest
September in central Illinois was one-to-three-inches short of average rainfall. Trent Brandenburg took full advantage of the natural drydown and good field conditions to get his crops from the field to the bin. Trent has completed his soybean harvest. He [...]
Not Quite Harvest Time Just Yet
Trent Brandenburg's earliest-planted corn is "about a week away" from drying below 25% moisture. At that level, he could lower his drying expense at the grain elevator. "Now, if there's an incentive..., " Trent indicated that an elevator offering a [...]
Replanting Done, Corn and Beans Look Good
Trent Brandenburg has replanted his few ponded field "wet spots" as many as three times. The replanted areas are "thin," Trent observed, because "It has been too wet. But at least [replanting] will keep the weeds down." Trent is now [...]