Ideal Weather Gives Illinois Farmers A Leg-Up On Spring Planting

By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square

ILLINOIS — Illinois planting progress is slowing as corn and soybean planting is crossing the finish line in 2022.

After a cold and wet April in many parts of the state, the ideal weather in May allowed farmers to catch up, especially last week.

“Illinois farmers and ranchers had 5.7 days that were suitable for fieldwork last week, and they used those days to plant corn and soybeans, to harvest hay, prepare fields for planting and to apply fertilizer and chemicals,” said Mark Schleusener, state statistician with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Currently, 95% of corn acres are planted, which is ahead of the 5-year average. Eighty-nine percent of corn acres have emerged, which is compared to 80% in a normal year. Farmers report 81% of corn is in good to excellent condition.

Soybean planting is also ahead of schedule. Schleusener reports 88 percent of beans are planted, compared to a 5-year average of 78 percent.

Soybean farmers in western Illinois are concerned, as cold, wet conditions have been hampering the crop since it was planted.

Illinois produced more soybeans than any other state in 2021. Despite challenges with rain that prolonged harvest, the USDA estimates Illinois soybean farmers raised over 672 million bushels on 10.5 million harvested acres with an average yield of 64 bushels per acre, an increase of 4 bushels from 2020.

According to Crop Watch, most fields could use some heat, particularly to boost soybeans. That heat is expected to arrive next week with temperatures in the 90s forecasted for much of Illinois.

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