Crop Report: ‘Weather was not encouraging’

Cold weather has put a damper on harvesting crops. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – The harvest progress is 80 percent for corn in Illinois, 92 percent for soybeans. 

The weather this past week was not encouraging, says state statistician Mark Schleusener of the USDA in Illinois.

“Cold weather continued and actually intensified across Illinois,” said Schleusener. “The state average temperature was only 26.6 degrees, and that is 14 or 15 degrees below normal depending on where you are around the state. Several inches of snow impacted much of illinois on Monday the 11th, but the overall precipitation in the state was below normal,” less than a quarter-inch, as opposed to almost a full inch.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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