Indiana
Fieldwork is behind schedule for many farmers as they struggle to find enough time between sprinkles, showers and downpours to spray herbicides and apply nitrogen to their corn.

The state’s entire corn crop is now in the ground, while acreage that was intended for corn will be switched to soybeans or left idle, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) report for the week ending June 18. Ninety-four percent of the intended corn acreage has emerged, compared with 100 percent last year and a 97 percent five-year average. Corn condition is rated 55 percent good to excellent.
Johnson County farmer Chris Hendricks had 25 acres of prevented planting that will sit idle. His late-planted corn is small but looks good. “There won’t be any tassel by July 4,” he said, “and we’ll be lucky if there is any knee-high by Fourth of July.”

Johnson and neighboring Shelby County – areas where Hendricks farms – were hit with 6-7 inches of rain on June 20. Much of the corn and soybean plants were underwater, but most will survive without replanting. Respraying may be necessary, but he was able to get sidedressing done on the corn by week’s end.

Farmers continued to plant soybeans as fields dried enough to support equipment. Ninety percent of the intended soybean acreage has been planted, near par with 91 percent last year and 92 percent for the five-year average.
By area, 89 percent of the crop has been planted in the north, 92 percent in the central region and 87 percent in the south, where fields were hit particularly hard by mid- and late-spring rains. Emergent rate is 75 percent, and the condition is rated 56 percent good to excellent.

The winter wheat crop sustained some damage from excess spring moisture. Harvest began in a few southern counties and will progress northward as the crop quickly comes to maturity. Four percent of the acreage has been harvested.
By Nancy Voris
Indiana Correspondent

Illinois
Despite a slow start from wet weather, corn and soybean in Illinois are progressing nicely, according to Emerson Nafziger, an extension agronomist with the University of Illinois.

“The temperatures are helping the corn crop come around. If you drive around Illinois, you’ll see a lot of the corn looks really good. A lot of it looks like it could hardly be better. It’s got good color,” he said.

While some areas of the state planted late or had to replant, most ended up getting their corn and soybean crops in the ground in time, he noted. “There’s less concern now than there was a month ago that we’ll get a crop that won’t get done in time.”

According to the latest Weather & Crops report from the Illinois NASS field office, 99 percent of the state’s corn crop had emerged, which is normal for the period. Last year, the same amount had emerged; the five-year average is 98 percent.

Crop height was below normal with an average height of 24 inches. Last year, it was 40 inches. The five-year average is 30 inches.

Farmers were still trying to get the last of their soybeans planted, though they were ahead of last year’s pace. According to NASS, 96 percent of the crop was planted, slightly ahead of the 92 percent planted by the same time last year. The five-year average is 89 percent.

Ninety-one percent of the crop had emerged, up from last year’s 86 percent. The five-year average is 81 percent. As for the condition of the crops, 93 percent of both corn and soybeans are rated fair or above, NASS reported.
The wheat harvest has begun, though farmers are behind their normal schedule. NASS said 4 percent of the crop had been harvested, compared to 19 percent last year. The five-year average is 23 percent.
By Michele F. Mihaljevich
Indiana Correspondent

Ohio
It’ll know more at harvest time, but there is going to be some disease in Ohio’s wheat crop, said Natalie Lehner, spokesperson for the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Assoc.

Brad Haas, who farms more than 600 acres of wheat, thinks some of the top-end yield of his wheat crop has been lost. “All the wet weather was tough on it – it might have drowned out the low spots,” said Haas, who is also a board member of the Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program.

“More troubling was the hot weather that we had 10 or 12 days ago; it got into the mid-90s for about three days and apparently that caused the plant to shut down, a premature death.”

Fusarium head blight, causing trouble for some Ohio wheat farmers according to the NASS report ending June 19, has not been a problem for Haas and others in the area. They sprayed a fungicide that prevented fusarium.
Corn and soybeans are finally in the ground thanks to a break from rainfall, NASS reported. Corn was 92 percent emerged. Ninety-one percent of soybeans were planted, 4 percent ahead of last year but 6 percent behind the five-year average. Sixty-six percent of soybeans were emerged, compared to 80 percent last year and 92 percent for the five-year average.

The first cutting of alfalfa hay was 92 percent complete, 10 percent ahead of last year and 3 percent ahead of the five-year average. The second cutting was 3 percent complete.
By Celeste Baumgartner
Ohio Correspondent