Although he says it’s been a trying summer for hay, John Kiefner will take a too-wet summer over a too-dry summer anytime. Raising grain, hay, horses and a few chickens in Will County, he said the hay market is huge around the Chicago area, and "we make a lot of hay."

Statewide, 79 percent of the hay acres were on their third cutting, on par with the five-year average of 80 percent. The rest of his crops look pretty good, he said last Tuesday.

The Sept. 2 weekly crop progress and condition report from the Illinois field office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) shows topsoil moisture statewide at just 1 percent very short, 8 percent short, a whopping 82 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture show similar numbers with 1 percent very short, 16 percent short, 78 percent adequate and 5 percent surplus.

Precipitation across the state averaged 1.08 inches, and the average temperature was 77.6 degrees, 4.2 degrees above normal.

Corn in the dough stage reached 97 percent, ahead of the five-year average of 93 percent. Corn dented reached 72 percent, compared to the 44 last year at this time. Corn condition was rated at 82 percent good to excellent, with 5 percent mature compared to the five-year average of 24.

Soybeans turning color reached 14 percent, just lower than the five-year average of 17 percent. Oat harvest was 97 percent complete.

Pasture conditions were rated 1 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 25 percent fair, 52 percent good and 17 percent excellent.