Indiana
In spite of a wet planting season, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) rates corn condition as 59 percent good to excellent, compared with 62 percent last year.

Soybeans are faring worse, with 15 percent of acreage in bloom, compared with 44 percent last year and 24 percent for the five-year average. Still, soybean condition is rated 58 percent good to excellent, compared with 62 percent last year.

“It’s been a different spring,” said Fred Day, manager of Frick Services, Inc., located in Leiters Ford. “Some of the corn was planted as late as June 19. Getting a good crop out of it is going to be pushing it.
 “We just have to deal with the hand we’re dealt,” he added. “We don’t know what will happen the rest of the year. Back in 1981, we had a wet spring like this one and it was hard to get the crops in. It quit raining on June 20, and we didn’t have any more rain for two months.”

With the late season, there was a question of whether intended acreage was planted. Mike Norman, who farms 1,200 acres in Henry Township, said in his case, he planted more corn than he originally intended. “I cut back on soybeans,” he said.

Unfortunately, he had to replant some corn. “It’s only knee-high,” he said, shortly after July 4. “The corn I planted earlier is shoulder-high.”
He’s worried about the shoulder-high corn, however. “It hasn’t made the root system it normally does. It’s like a spoiled kid who hasn’t established ties yet.”
By Ann Allen
Indiana Correspondent

Illinois
Fruit and vegetable crops in Illinois are looking good, with little sign of disease or insects, according to Mosbah Kushad, an extension specialist in food crops with the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois.
“Overall, the season looks pretty promising so far. Nobody seems to be hurting,” he noted. “Our growers need to have a little bit of a break.”
The recent dry spell may be affecting some vegetables, he added, and there was a little bit of hail recently on peaches in central Illinois. The dry weather may mean slightly smaller size for fruits such as melons and peaches, but they will have much better sweetness, he stated.

Meanwhile, apple size is coming along, and peppers and tomatoes are also doing well.

As for corn, 27 percent of the crop had silked, down from 68 percent at the same time last year, according to the July 11 Weather & Crops report from the Illinois field office of NASS. The five-year average is 41 percent. One percent of the crop was in dough stage, down from 7 percent last year. The five-year average is 3 percent.

Most of the soybean crop has emerged and 17 percent was blooming, down from 40 percent a year ago. The five-year average is 33 percent.
Eighty-six percent of the state’s wheat has been harvested, down from 94 percent last year. The five-year average is 87 percent.
Rainfall in the southern part of the state earlier this month caused some delays in wheat harvest, NASS also stated.

As for oats, 15 percent of the crop had been harvested, down slightly from last year’s 18 percent. The five-year average is 11 percent.
Farmers have started the third alfalfa cutting, as 2 percent had been cut, down from last year’s 5 percent. The five-year average is 6 percent.
By Michele F. Mihaljevich
Indiana Correspondent

Ohio
Customers at Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen in Mt. Hope will be enjoying the first fresh peach pies of the season this week. Peaches were just one of many items on the dock at the Farmers’ Produce Auction in Mt. Hope.
Ohio’s peach harvest is running slightly behind last year’s. The summer apple harvest is also running behind other years, as the first apples of the northeastern Ohio season were also on the dock at the auction.
Most of the strawberry crop in Ohio has been harvested, following a short, challenging season. Other produce on the dock included potatoes, zucchini, onions, green beans, garlic and tomatoes.

Area farmers are finishing first-cutting hay and working on second-cutting, as well as harvesting wheat and baling straw. Oats are running behind last year, with only 81 percent of the crop headed, compared to 95 percent this time last year.

At this time last year, too, 40 percent of the corn crop was tasseling, compared to only 1 percent this year. With the late planting came some insect problems as well, according to Ron Becker, IPM program specialist with The Ohio State University extension in Wayne County.

Becker said pest scouts are seeing damage from European corn borer and Cucumber beetles. He said the European corn borer is damaging the stalks, while the beetle is feasting on the fruit of the cucumber and zucchini plants instead of the blossoms. Scouts are also seeing damage in field corn stands that is caused by millipedes.

Late planting has resulted in only 4 percent of Ohio’s soybean crop in blossom, compared to 39 percent last year at this time.

If it seemed hotter and drier across the state, it was, but it also meant farmers had more days suitable for fieldwork. Temperatures were about two degrees above normal for this time of year, while precipitation was slightly below normal. Still, many areas are reporting adequate soil moisture.
By Susan Mykrantz
Ohio Correspondent