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| Crop Development Continues at Slow Pace |
Another week of below average temperatures didn't do the Illinois corn and soybean crops any favors.
August picked up where July left off in terms of cooler weather. The weekly crop report from the USDA says the average temperature last week in Illinois was 70.4 degrees, or nearly 4 degrees cooler than normal for this time of the year. The temperature in western Illinois averaged 69.6 degrees, which is 5 degrees below average. Precipitation across the state averaged 8-tenths of an inch. That's slightly above average.
USDA crop statistician Brad Schwab says the string of lower temperatures - especially at night - is hurting corn and soybean growth.
"The corn crop finished the week at 80 percent silked, trailing the 90 percent average a year ago and the 97 percent five-year average. Soybeans, in the boom stage, were reported at 63 percent compared to 71 percent one year ago and 89 percent for the five-year average."
Western Illinois corn is 81 percent silked, but just 10 percent of the crop is in the dough stage compared to the state average of 16 percent. The region's soybeans are 49 percent blooming and 28 percent have set pods, ahead of the 18 percent statewide average.
The condition of the state's corn is rated 60 percent good or excellent. The number for soybeans is 58 percent. The USDA did note that some soybean fields in the western part of the state are yellowing due to excess moisture. The region's topsoil moisture is rated 84 percent adequate. |
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| 08 05 09 by Newsroom |
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