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Rainfall Last Week Replenishes Farm Fields
Illinois farmers were hoping for rain last week, and they got their wish.

Thanks to Hurricane Gustav, the state received an average of 2.4 inches of rainfall. That's close to two inches above normal. More than three inches of rain fell in western Illinois, which is over two inches above the norm. It was also a cool week, with the average temperature in Illinois topping out at 69 degrees. The average in the western part of the state was 67 degrees, or 4.1 degrees below normal.

USDA deputy statistician Mark Schleusener says all the rain Illinois got last week will help, a little.

"The last three weeks or so had been relatively dry with the crops not quite finished, so that some rain over the last few weeks would have been helpful. And this came at the end, so helpful on the small side on the margins perhaps."

There were just 3.2 days suitable for fieldwork in rainy western Illinois last week, compared to the statewide average of 4.5 days. The region's topsoil moisture content is rated 94 percent adequate to surplus. It's still very dry in southeastern Illinois, where 70 percent of the topsoil moisture content is rated short or very short.

The corn and soybean season is heading into the home stretch. Four percent of the state's corn crop has matured and 2 percent of the soybean plants are shedding leaves. Corn is rated 72 percent good or excellent, soybeans are at 67 percent.
09 13 08 by Newsroom
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