By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

PEKIN, Ill. — The July 28 USDA weekly crop update reflected the impact of delayed development in both corn and soybeans in Illinois because of record rainfall in the state for the period of January through June. The report showed that only 11 percent of the state’s corn crop had reached the critical dough stage, compared with the yearly average of 35 percent.

Though central Illinois crops were not as affected by June flooding as were fields in counties adjacent to the Mississippi and Wabash rivers in eastern and western reaches of the state, increased moisture and standing water in some fields have brought new challenges to area farmers looking for a bountiful harvest.

“One problem with a lot of moisture in fields in the spring is that plants do not send roots down deep enough and they will be rooted towards the surface; they don’t have to go and look for water,” said Tazewell County Farm Bureau Director Doug Godke.

“As the plant matures, the water recedes lower into the ground, and if the roots can’t reach it fast enough, the plants will show heat stress (which affects kernel maturity). In addition, if the plant is not rooted deeply enough, a windstorm can cause the plants to gooseneck, adding additional hurdles to harvesting.

“You often see that as a result of a wet spring.”

Most crops in central Illinois are a week or two behind normal maturity, according to Godke. In addition, the start/stop pattern of the spring rains forced many farmers to stagger their planting in different stages, though this planting schedule could turn out to farmers’ advantage.

“They’ll be able to harvest corn planted early, while the remainder can mature instead of standing waiting to be harvested,” he said. “The longer mature corn stands in the field awaiting harvest, the more problems you can have.”

The National Weather Service has indicated that warmer than usual conditions are projected for the Midwest in September and October, raising the possibility of a late-season first frost that would allow plants longer to mature.

“If we can delay the frost, we’re probably going to be better off as far as the maturity of the grain,” Godke acknowledged, adding that “a lot of other factors” could affect the harvest.

“(Tazewell’s) crop looks very good right now, considering the wet spots that were in a lot of fields, and our yields should be very good. But they won’t reach where they were last year due to the wet fields and late maturity,” he said.

Woodford County Farm Bureau Director Jolene Neuhauser agreed the local harvest will not reach the record yield amounts of 2007, but will still be quite good.

“Things look good right now as far as plant population goes, considering the rainfall amounts we saw,” she said. “After the fields dried out we enjoyed some timely rains in recent weeks. We won’t have another bumper crop, but we should end up in good shape.”
Approximately 1.3 million acres of corn and soybeans – about six percent of the total acreage in Illinois for the plants – suffered some kind of flood damage in June, according to a recent USDA acreage report.

Mark Lambert, director of communications for the Illinois Corn Growers Association, said he “wouldn’t hang his hat on” a firm number of total corn acres impacted across the state. “I think the special survey done recently by USDA to augment the (August) crop report will be the best indicator.”

Taz-Wood farmers battle beetles

Both Godke and Neuhauser said area farmers have put the rains behind them and are now focusing on more traditional production challenges: Insects. Godke said the sound of those hard-shelled insects splattering on a car windshield while traveling the area’s rural roads might be a harbinger of trouble for local crop producers.
“One of the concerns I have right now is the Japanese beetle,” he said. “There are certain pockets in the county that are seeing some recent damage. The beetles eat the silk off of the corn, and you have to have the silk in order for the corn to pollinate.”

Damage from the beetles is evident on plants near the edges of cornfields, Godke said, because that’s where the pests gain entry.
Beetles are also eating away at some of the area’s soybean fields. Many farmers have been seen applying aerial fungicide and insecticide sprays to fields to combat both excess moisture and pests such as the beetle.

“A big decision farmers are making is what is the economic value of treating your fields compared to losing some of your plants,” Godke said of the record-high prices farmers are paying for chemicals. Applying insecticides can also destroy “beneficial” insects that aid plant growth and maturity, he said.

Neuhauser said she had seen several crop dusters in the area recently and that farmers told her they are spraying for Japanese beetles and other pests.

“Hopefully the spraying will put the problem in the past,” she said.
Godke wasn’t sure whether the additional moisture in fields this year could be partially responsible for the recent explosion in pests. Kevin Steffey, a University of Illinois entomologist, said during a July 28 teleconference that farmers in north-central Illinois have noticed marked increases in the presence of soybean aphids, another common field pest.

In one northeastern Iowa field, more than 700 aphids were counted on one soybean plant. Steffey urged north-central Illinois growers to be alert for the pests, which possess a voracious appetite for soybean plants.

Disaster declaration needed?

When the USDA granted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s request to declare 74 primary counties and 17 contiguous counties as federal crop disaster zones – making farmers eligible for financial aid – in July, Tazewell and Woodford counties were among the contiguous counties designated.

Both Godke and Neuhauser said they were not aware of any farmers from their counties who applied for aid, which can include low-interest, federal loans that can be used for production and household expenses.

“I was surprised when Woodford County was designated, and I have heard of no one who has applied,” Neuhauser said.
Godke said most flooding in Tazewell County was limited to localized “ponding” in some fields.

“I don’t know why they would declare Tazewell County,” he said. “I don’t think it was a major problem here. A lot of farmers who had wet spots in their fields were able to replant and the crops are mostly looking good.”