Farmers across Illinois were mostly relieved by the hot weather – uncharacteristic of the summer of 2014 – that arrived last week. According to University of Illinois crop sciences professor Emerson Nafziger, the corn should benefit from a prolonged increase in temperatures, in reduced moisture content and fuller kernel-seed fill.

Ridgway (Hamilton County) farmer Bill Raben agreed with Nafziger’s assessment as he readied his grain bins and waited for his corn and soybeans to fully develop.

"We’re normally shelling (corn) about this time in August, but we’re not close to it this year," said Raben, citing moist soil conditions and below-normal temperatures (the average Illinois temperature for the week ending Aug. 17 was 69.4 degrees, 4.4. degrees below normal) as the main drivers behind delayed crop maturation.

"We’ve had an exceptional summer, not as hot as normal. This week is more like what we normally have," he said Aug. 22, when heat indices topped 100 degrees in many areas of the state. "The crops have fared pretty well. I’d say they are above average quality, just a little later than normal."

The growing season has been affected by scattered, severe storms that sporadically flooded farm fields in Hamilton County and across the state, Raben continued. "We had three inches of rain last Sunday (Aug. 17) morning, but near McLeansboro, some places received six inches. We saw at least an 80-acre soybean field underwater – destroyed – on our way home from Decatur yesterday. These rains have been very isolated. It’s been that way all year."

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Aug. 12 Crop Production report forecast Illinois corn yields at 188 bushels per acre, second only to Washington state’s (yes, Washington!) projected yield of 210.

Illinois is projected to lead the nation in average soybean yield, with 54 bushels per acre. The overall condition of the state’s corn crop is good to excellent, while soybean condition is average to good, according to U of I crop physiologist Fred Below.

All of which leads Illinois farmers like Raben to anticipate record or near-record harvests of both corn and soybeans in 2014. It’s just a matter of farmers waiting for growth-challenged crops to fully develop before rural Illinois once again comes to life with the sights and sounds of harvest season.

"We’re getting ready for harvest mode," said Raben. "We’ll be ready to hit the ground running."