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As of last week, parts of eastern and central Illinois have been
dry, and areas in southern Illinois were in a moderate drought.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 32% of subsoil
moisture was short as of last week.
The remnants of Hurricane Beryl are expected to give the state a
good soaking this week. Some areas were expected to receive over
four inches of rain from the tropical system.
Mark Schleusener, Illinois State Statistician with the USDA,
said the progress of the corn crop in the state is ahead of
schedule.
“Thirty-nine percent of corn acres are silking compared to 21%
one year ago and 16% for the five-year average,” said
Schleusener.
As of July 7, 23% of farmers reported their corn crop to be in
fair condition, 52% in good condition, and 15% in excellent
condition. That is similar to the week before, and considerably
better than last year.
Twenty-four percent of soybean farmers reported their crop to be
in fair condition, 55% in good condition, and 11% in excellent
condition.
The state’s soybean crop is also ahead of schedule. Soybeans
setting pods reached 9%, compared to the 5-year average of 3%.
The USDA estimates that farmers planted nearly 11 million acres
of corn in Illinois this season, down about 300,000 acres from
last year, and 10.7 million acres of soybeans, an increase of
350,000 from 2023.
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