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The latest crop progress and condition report from the United
States Department of Agriculture shows 24% of the corn crop is
mature. That is compared to the 5-year average of 11% at this
time.
Corn condition was rated 3% very poor, 5% poor, 21% fair, 54%
good, and 17% excellent.
USDA statistician Mark Schleusener said soybeans are ahead of
schedule as well.
“Fourteen percent of acres were dropping leaves compared to
three normally and we received a few reports of soybeans being
harvested,” said Schleusener.
Soybean condition was rated 3% very poor, 7% poor, 22% fair, 56%
good, and 12% excellent.
With harvest season approaching, Mark Baker with Stateline Farm
Rescue told WIFR TV in Rockford that Illinois motorists should
exercise patience.
“We don’t want to be on the roads holding you up anymore than we
want to be there,” said Baker. “Just give us a little bit of
room and we’ll get off the roads and get into the field.”
Transportation incidents, including tractor overturns, are the
leading cause of death for farmworkers, according to the Center
for Disease Control and Prevention. In Illinois, between 1999
and 2019, there were 82 roadway-related deaths involving
agriculture equipment.
The USDA estimates that Illinois farmers planted nearly 11
million acres of corn this season, and 10.7 million acres of
soybeans.
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