The harvest is underway for Illinois corn.
Mark Schleusener, the state statistician for the USDA in Illinois, says 1 percent of the corn crop has been harvested, but that is slightly behind the five-year average of 6 percent. Soybean progress is also behind the five-year average, with 7 percent dropping leaves now,
compared to 11 percent.
“We’d like, probably, some more sunshine,†says Schleusener, speaking for many Illinois farmers. “Mostly, we’ve got plenty of rain. 82 percent of topsoil moisture is adequate. That’s really, really good.”
Schleusener says the yield forecast will be updated Thursday.