A southern Illinois farmer says 2025 will go down as the most challenging of his farming career. “You know, I don’t have much corn planted. This is probably the least amount of corn I’ve ever planted.” Granvil Travis, who has only half of his Massac County farm planted, says this week’s break in the weather…… Continue Reading
Senate GOP looking for another route after parliamentarian ruling
Senate Republicans are looking for a path forward on reconciliation after the Senate parliamentarian ruled against a plan to impose a state cost-share for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Iowa’s Chuck Grassley says the proposal would not pass the Byrd Rule as written. “So it needs to be taken out of the bill as drafted.…… Continue Reading
Michigan’s wheat harvest just about to pick up
A farmer in central Michigan says he’s about three weeks from harvesting wheat. Dave Williams of Elsie tells Brownfield, “The wheat looks fantastic.” “I’m really happy with that, of course, the cool weather that we had this spring really helped that along, I think,” he says. He says crops have been slow to emerge since…… Continue Reading
Wide-ranging temps; an unseasonably active pattern covers the Heartland
Across the Corn Belt, hot, humid weather from the middle Mississippi Valley eastward is maintaining stress on livestock. However, above-normal temperatures also favor a rapid pace of corn and soybean development. On June 22, Iowa led the Midwest with 13% of its soybean crop blooming, well ahead of the 5-year average of 6%. On the…… Continue Reading
IL Corn TV
Every Monday, the Illinois Corn Checkoff brings farmers the latest updates in the industry, cool new tech previews, and more on IL Corn TV on YouTube. In this Managing for Profit, John Klemm, a DeWitt County farmer and ICMB board member, provides insight into this unique outreach tool and how it benefits Illinois farms. The…… Continue Reading
Heat wave could contribute to crop stress
Purdue University Extension’s corn specialist says the current extreme heat wave across the Midwest could impact this year’s corn crop. Dan Quinn says higher temperatures are accelerating plant growth. “Some of the areas that had almost flooding-like conditions and really poor root development of the crop, we’re seeing some of those dry conditions exacerbate those…… Continue Reading
More seasonal heat & rainfall patterns ahead for the Heartland
Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for near- or above-normal temperatures and rainfall across most of the country. Cooler-than-normal conditions will be confined to portions of New Mexico and western Texas. Meanwhile parts of the South will have the greatest likelihood of experiencing unusually wet conditions. The post More seasonal heat &…… Continue Reading
Some things about tar spot might surprise producers
Tar spot in corn has been around for several years, and researchers are still discovering things that might surprise producers. Plant pathologist, researcher, and professor Dr. Damon Smith with the University of Wisconsin has more about tar spot next on today’s Managing for Profit. The post Some things about tar spot might surprise producers appeared…… Continue Reading
Crop conditions in Nebraska are inconsistent
A south-central Nebraska farmer says corn and soybean crop conditions are extremely variable. Randy Uhrmacher tells Brownfield that moisture has been hit-or-miss this spring. “I don’t see any records happening this year, at least on our farm, unless things turn and will be perfect here on out.” According to the USDA, 70 percent of the…… Continue Reading
South Dakota crops: 63% corn and 62% soybeans rated good to excellent
A farmer in eastern South Dakota says his crops look good. Todd Hanten says he was able to start planting early, and his crops were ahead of schedule. “As far as growing degree units, we’re on par for normal,” he says. “I think if we get the warm weather they’re talking about, we’ll definitely be over…… Continue Reading
