Beans Look Good, Corn Is OK
Trent Brandenburg is pleased with the development of his soybean crop this year. Timely rains have kept new pods forming and helped to fill out the early-set ones. Although the northern half of Piatt County, the eastern half of DeWitt County, and nearly all of Champaign County, are labelled “Moderate Drought” on today’s (August 25, 2022) Illinois Drought Map, Trent’s land has received enough rain to keep his beans doing well.
Trent’s corn crop is “not as good as last year,” he observed. Late planting due to the wet May, and then a long dry spell in June, took the top off this year’s potential yield. “It’s OK, he added, repeating “just not as good as last year.” June rainfall in central Illinois averaged 3 to 4 inches below normal. Trent has experienced no serious fungus disease attack with the return of rains, due to his timely application of crop protection chemicals earlier this summer.
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