By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD– Depending on where you were in Illinois last week, the weather was ideal for farming.
The state’s average rainfall was right on target, though that’s because it was wetter in northern and central Illinois and drier in the south. Temperatures, though, averaged about ten degrees warmer than normal.
The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service in Illinois says 77 percent of corn is in the dent stage, 26 percent mature, and two percent harvested. For soybeans, 96 percent are setting pods, 53 percent are turning color, and fourteen percent are dropping leaves.
Eighteen percent of each crop is reported in poor-to-very-poor condition, while 45 percent of corn and 43 percent of soybeans are rated good-to-excellent.
