FarmWeek Page 6 Monday, June 16, 2014 Bernie Walsh, Durand, Winnebago County: We have been getting more timely rains, which are great for the corn and beans, but not so good for the guys trying to make their first cutting of hay. We had anywhere from .2 to .6 of an inch of rain last Saturday night and from .5 inches to 1.2 inches of rain on Tuesday morning. Lots of spraying and sidedressing of nitrogen are the main jobs this week. We are still waiting for the rootworm hatch, but no sign of them yet. We have just about enough GDDs for that to happen, so it won’t be long. Have a good week. Leroy Getz, Savanna, Carroll County: Cloudy, drizzly days produced .5 of an inch of rain. Many fields of hay got wet. Corn is at that stage of rapid growth, and the roots are finding nitrogen for that dark green color. Spraying continues before the crop gets too tall. Soybeans have emerged and stands look fairly good. Oats are heading out. We have a total of 773 growing degree units for the season. Ryan Frieders, Waterman, DeKalb County: Last week, we had really good spraying weather. The days were warm and the winds were calm. The corn is already knee high. We completed all the post-season spraying of corn herbicide. Sidedressing nitrogen is also complete. Beans are growing and will soon need to be sprayed to control weeds. We received 2 inches of rain, so it will take a few days to dry the soils. Larry Hummel, Dixon, Lee County: Getting 2.5 inches of rain for the week will go a long way for this year’s crops. A lot of cornfields were looking pretty ragged with uneven height and roots that were struggling to find nitrogen. Plant height will remain uneven, but by Wednesday the corn was turning dark green. No-till soybeans are starting to get enough size so you can at least see the field is planted. We replanted one, 38-acre field of soybeans. The soybeans germinated but struggled with emergence, so we have sent samples in to check for diseases. Ken Reinhardt, Seaton, Mercer County: We had a couple of rains amounting to just under an inch. Post corn spraying and sidedressing is wrapping up with the rapid corn growth. Soybeans are looking good for the most part. The culprit in last week’s corn dump was proven to be a common house fly on a new touch screen. Ron Moore, Roseville, Warren County: We received another 2.1 inches of rain since my last report. That puts this area at 3.5 to 6 inches of rain depending on the location. Tile lines have started to run half full and the grass has shown great improvement. Streams are full for the cattle on pasture. The corn is now knee to thigh high and a dark green color. Some soybeans have been sprayed and the rest need a few days of drying out so they can be sprayed. The rain has also allowed the weeds to germinate and start growing. I did get my hay mowed. More rain in the forecast for this week. We will see if mowing was the right decision. Tim Green, Wyoming, Stark County: A nice week. Total rainfall was in the 2-plus inches range. Definitely helped our subsoil moisture. The tiles are just barely starting to run. A little bit of post spraying corn to be done yet. Bean fields are starting to look a little ragged. The beans just don’t have that good color the corn does. The growth posts south of town have corn at about 2.5 feet tall. Mark Kerber, Chatsworth, Livingston County: Rain last week has delayed field activity. Some have nitrogen to finish up. There has been water standing in a few spots. Three years ago, we received 7 inches of rain in June and hardly none in July-August. It hasn’t been good weather to get hay cut and baled. Corn and soybeans are growing as the weeks fly by. Markets are in a downward trend.
Ron Haase, Gilman, Iroquois County: Field activity was limited to two days over the last week. We were able to sidedress nitrogen on Saturday (June 7) and Monday (June 9). An inch or more of rain on Sunday and again on Tuesday kept us out of the field the rest of the week. Our farms received a range of 1.95 to 2.55 inches of rain. We need one full day to finish up the nitrogen application, which we hope to be able to do before the corn gets too tall for our applicator. The range in corn development is anywhere from V1 to V8 with most of the corn between V6 and V8. The earliest planted soybean fields have reached the V5 growth stage, while most fields are in the V1 to V4 range. Local closing prices for June 12 were $4.25 for nearby corn, $4.10 for new-crop corn, $14.30 for nearby soybeans, and $11.81 for new-crop soybeans. Brian Schaumburg, Chenoa, McLean County: 2014 continues its great start with crop ratings at alltime highs. Comparisons to 2012 are being made by fear mongers. They forget that we went into that year with no subsoil moisture, whereas the subsoil is fully charged for this growing season. Root development is phenomenal. GDUs are at the 30-year average. This was Flag Week. Be thankful we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Corn, $4.43; new corn, $4.22; soybeans, $14.22; new soybeans, $11.78; wheat, $5.49. Steve Ayers, Champaign, Champaign County: Just a walkin’ in the rain, getting soakin’ wet — .9 of an inch of rain from the weekend, .6 of an inch Monday, and .45 of an inch Tuesday. Fortunately, it did not come down at once, but there are some field ponds filling up. Corn is 21 percent excellent, 53 percent good, 23 percent fair, 2 percent poor and 1 percent very poor, while soybeans are 16 percent excellent, 60 percent good, 22 percent fair and 2 percent poor. For our crop reporting district, all corn has emerged and 94 percent of the soybeans are planted with 81 percent emerged. Farmers are concerned about timely spray applications with the crops (and weeds) growing so rapidly. Also, hay producers have had a challenging year so far. Ford County Fair kicks off June 22 in Melvin. See you at the fair! Wilfred Dittmer, Quincy, Adams County: We actually got 1.3 inches of rain this past week, and the crops have responded accordingly. One can almost watch the corn grow despite the cooler nights and days for June. Sprayers are keeping busy trying to get those small, resistant weeds a drink of chemical as soon as possible. Hay machines are operating between showers, as are the lawn mowers. Carrie Winkelmann, Tallula, Menard County: The 2.91 inches of rain we received at home this week falls into the middle of the range of rainfall totals I have heard from around the county. Very spotty rain. The corn is canopied and looks fabulous, but the beans could use some sun and dry weather. It’s been too muddy for any fieldwork. We hosted 24 teachers touring with Summer Ag Institute. It was a perfect week for cleaning the shop and cleaning equipment to get ready for tour guests. Tom Ritter, Blue Mound, Macon County: It was a pretty damp week with several isolated showers that limited fieldwork to mowing roadsides. A lot or almost all the soybeans are ready for application of post herbicides, but its been too wet to get in the field. Corn is growing with excellent color. Soybeans seem to be suffering a little more with the saturated soils. They are continuing to grow, however, and if we can have a warm, dry period, their darker green color will be coming back. Overall, crop prospects look very good at this time. Definitely way ahead of a year ago when planting was still going on. Rainfall for the week in southern Macon County was just under 1 inch with northern Macon County having well over 1 inch through two or three rains.
Todd Easton, Charleston, Coles County: The raindrops keep falling across the Coles County area this week keeping fields muddy and in places flooded. Since last week’s report, we have received another 2 inches in the middle of the county with southern parts getting about twice as much. Both corn and bean crops are treading water in places as producers hope for as much survival as possible. By the time we get the next set of rains across the area and fields dried out, the replant window will be virtually closed. That said, wet weather is much better than dry weather in my book. The good news is the majority of crops are looking very good and growing fast. Many corn fields have closed their rows. Jimmy Ayers, New City, Sangamon County: We received 1 inch of rain, about like we had the week before. One inch a week all summer would be quite an event for us. Crops look really good. The corn has taken a tremendous growth spurt in some of the fields. V6 to V8 stage is common. Soybeans look pretty good. Some of the 15-inch rows tried to close. We got some air-seeded beans in the area that certainly closed a row already. Most of the corn has been sprayed. A few guys have started spraying beans. That’s probably the activity most needed at this point. With wheat, some of the end rows duplicated. A little bit of that fell down with the rains and wind that we’ve had. Some of it sprang back up; pretty happy to see that. The Sangamon County Fair starts Wednesday. If you get a chance, check out the activities. Doug Uphoff, Shelbyville, Shelby County: We got our acres reported at the FSA office and 578s handed off to our insurance agent. We had more than 2 inches of rain. June total is almost up to 4 inches. Fields are showing standing water for the first time this crop year. Corn looks good and soybeans have started to take off. They are close to V-6. We’ve been working in the new shop we had built this winter. Organizing, moving tools, building benches, drywalling, etc. They are calling for more rain, so I know the folks who still have planting to do are getting nervous. Be careful out there and have a good week. David Schaal, St. Peter, Fayette County: It’s been a rainy, cool week around here for the most part. We received around 2 inches of rain since my last report. For the most part, corn and soybeans are looking good to excellent. I’ve been reporting all along this year how well wheat has been looking. Not growing any wheat myself, I have had a couple of local wheat producers tell me wheat is not going to be good at all. Head scab has set in to the crop in a really bad way. Those producers are ready to get the crop cut as soon as possible and get double-crop beans in. When it dries up around here, a lot of post bean spraying will take place. Jeff Guilander, Jerseyville, Jersey County: It was a wet week to say the least. Amounts were from 3 to 6 inches of rain, bringing all fieldwork to a halt and in some cases wondering how much replant will be necessary. A lot of beans in low areas will be a complete loss with corn being questionable. We’ll know more when the water drains. On the upside, any ground that can drain looks like a greenhouse. So, for the next few days, better stay focused on that. Dave Hankammer, Millstadt, St. Clair County: Last week, we had cloudy weather with daytime temps near 80 degrees and nighttime temps as low as 60. Several rain showers fell during the week leaving an accumulated precipitation of 1.5 inches of rain, keeping the fields in wet condition. The corn and soybean crop is enjoying this low stress period. However, it is a frustrating period for farmers wishing to do any fieldwork. Post spraying and hay making has been delayed due to wet conditions. The wheat crop seems to be holding onto some of the green color due to the cool, cloudy conditions. There are a few fields of wheat that almost ready for harvest if only we had warmer, drier weather. Local grain bids are: corn, $4.54; soybeans, $14.19; wheat, $5.65. Have a safe week.