Triple-digit temperatures and lack of rainfall are combining to stress crops across the Midwest, and Illinois is no exception. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) report dated July 2, topsoil moisture is rated at 52 percent very short, 37 percent short and only 11 percent adequate statewide.

Corn conditions were rated at 12 percent very poor, 21 percent poor, 41 percent fair, 23 percent and only 3 percent excellent. About 46 percent has silked, compared to 6 percent last year and 15 percent as the five-year average.

The dry weather could cause enough crop damage to affect yields.

“The market’s more concentrated on ‘when’s the drought going to end?’” said Dan Hueber, general manager of the grain marketing division of Diversified Services in Sycamore, Ill. ”Inventories on both products (corn and soybeans) are tight, to say the least. There’s little room for error.”

Soybeans have tolerated the weather a little better than the corn, according to the weekly NASS report. Eleven percent is rated very poor, 20 percent poor, 41 percent fair, 25 percent good and 2 percent excellent. About 25 percent of the soybean crop is blooming, 16 points ahead of the five-year average of 9 percent.

Wheat harvest is nearly complete at 96 percent, compared to 66 percent at this time last year and the five-year average of 63 percent.

The oat crop is 26 percent ripe and the second cutting of alfalfa is at 88 percent.

The lack of rainfall statewide will affect corn and soybeans, but might also have a ripple effect on other ag industries.

“Unless we get rain, we won’t get hay produced,” said Curt Campbell, Purdue University extension agent for Wabash County. “Some of this corn will need to be used as silage.”

Crop insurance companies, however, might not pay for the loss of revenue if corn is harvested as silage, he added. Many livestock farmers – especially dairy – do not carry this type of insurance.

Right now, pastures for many animals in Wabash and surrounding counties are gone, Campbell said: “We have less rain at this point than in 1988.” Livestock operations have reported some deaths due to heat, especially in poultry, according to the NASS Crop & Weather report for the week ending July 1.

The northeastern and southwestern parts of Indiana have been hardest hit by the drought, with Daviess, Gibson, Kosciusko, Miami, Noble, Pike, Posey, Vanderburgh, Wabash, Warrick and Whitley counties under extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor from June 28.

Most of Cass, Dubois, Fulton, Huntington, Knox, Martin and Spencer, as well as parts of Allen, DeKalb, Grant, Howard, LaGrange and Steuben, counties are suffering under the same conditions. The rest of the state is in moderate or severe drought.

“(The rain that has fallen) was a good start, but we need more,” said Gary Horner, extension educator for Miami County.

 “Considering how little rain we’ve had, the ground is so dry now it could easily soak up 1.5 to two inches of rain per week.”

Both agents said corn is at a critical stage in pollination, but in many cases tassels are maturing quicker than silks, which will result in poor fertilization. Campbell said even those with good pollination could see the corn kernels abort if dry weather persists.

“At this stage of development, corn needs about 4/10 of an inch of water daily,” Campbell explained. “Soybeans need about 3/10 of an inch, which is why we’re not seeing quite as much stress (on soybeans).”

Corn conditions were rated at 19 percent good to excellent, compared with 58 percent last year at this time, according to the NASS report. This is the worst corn condition report since 1988, when none of the crop was considered good to excellent.

Soybean condition was rated at 20 percent good to excellent in the NASS report. Last year at this time, the crop was rated 57 percent good to excellent.