EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — Gail Underwood said he breathed a serious sighof relief Sunday morning when he woke  up and looked at the old-fashioned rain gauge pegged to one of the posts on the fence around his farm.

 

It measured 6 inches – and the gauge was full. Based on other information he read online in the morning, his area in southeastern Illinois already had received 7 inches of rain since Friday night, and another 1-2 inches were expected later in the day.

 

“Early last week, they kept saying there was a potential we could get that much water here, so I had no choice to get out there with the sprayers,” said Underwood, who started mixing in winter wheat to his ground about three years ago.

 

Wheat growers like Underwood in Illinois faced a delicate situation early last week: Thanks to an extremely mild ending to the winter season and a mild spring, nearly 30 percent of the crop was already heading, putting it about three weeks ahead of schedule.

 

Getting into the field to apply fungicide before heavy rains hit was critical to the further development of the crop. “It was a bit of a rush, but we got it done,” Underwood said.

 

Corn growers late in planting likely will have to wait at least another week before the region dries out enough to get into the ground, although the later start won’t hurt the crop much in the long run, said University of Illinois crop production specialist Emerson Nafziger.

 

Another southeastern Illinois wheat grower, Kyle Brase, said he had his fungicide sprayers going mid-last week, but feared other growers may not have been as fortunate. “My fear is the weather,” he explained. “The better-quality wheat could be pollinating in the next four to five days. We need to get (fungicide) on.”

 

The heavy rain is the second big obstacle for wheat growers this season; the first was a short-lived cold spell the third week of March, when temperatures dipped into the high teens for two consecutive nights. 

 

Despite the cold snap, wheat as well as fruit trees in several southern Illinois orchards seemed to escape any significant damage.

 

As of last week, about 28 percent of the Illinois wheat crop was heading, way beyond last year’s total of 2 percent at  the same time and more than double the statewide average of 12 percent, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

 

The crop’s overall condition was better than usual; NASS rated nearly three-quarters of the state’s wheat as excellent or good, with just 6 percent rated poor.