Fields finally drying out for Illinois farmers

Posted on August 6, 2019
Corn
USDA Illinois statistician Mark Schleusener said with the fields drying out it has caught the attention of the drought monitor. (WJBC File Photo)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois farmers are finding the weather has stabilized.

Farm fields are finally drying out to what USDA Illinois statistician Mark Schleusener calls a “typical Illinois summer.” But now Illinois has caught the attention of the USDA Drought Monitor. Eighteen percent of the state, mainly the northwest, is reported to be “abnormally dry,” a first step toward an actual drought.

41 percent of corn and 40 percent of soybeans are reported in good to excellent condition.

Corn’s 81 percent silking and 29 percent in dough. Soybeans are 72 percent blooming and 30 percent setting pods.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…