Day three of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour had our group running north and west of Bloomington IL near Goodfield to start sampling. We then moved nearly straight up along the east side of the Illinois River then crossed at Henry heading west to Bradford and up US 40 then crossing the border at Clinton IA. Another newbie today after some airline delays, Li Xuan Tan from Singapore joined us, so we trained her right, becoming chief statistician after a few stops.
The corn yields on our route were in line with what we’ve come to expect from an IL corn crop, even though the real estate probably wasn’t the best that IL has to offer. The number of fences, cattle, and irrigation are all clues. The soybean 3’x3’ continued solid. Our route today in IL included samples from Woodford, Marshall, Stark, (cropping District 4) Bureau, Putnam, Stark, Whiteside and Carroll Co.’s. (District 1) Our high corn yield was 252 bu./acre in Marshall Co. IL. The low on our route was 144 bu./acre in Woodford Co. Our route average today on corn in IL was 202 bu./acre.
We also pulled a couple samples from IA in Clinton Co., in cropping district 6. The high yield on this portion of our route was in Clinton Co. at 221 bu./acre with a low of 191 bu./acre. The average of the two samples was roughly 206 bu./acre. The who has better corn battle, IA or IL, rages on.
On the soybean side samples also showed impressive pod counts. The high sample for our route was 2114 in Marshall Co. and the low sample was from Bureau Co. at 750 An overall average was 1141 pods in the 3’x3’. In the Clinton Co. Iowa portion of our route, the high in the 3’x3’ count was 1786 with a low of 1419, averaging out to 1602. Next thing you know, we’ll have a IA/IL soybean war on our hands.
Disease pressure in both crops was generally light as was insect pressure. There has been some tar spot present although as we’ve said, apparently most got the memo and treated accordingly. Some SDS noted in the soybeans today but again, nothing like what we saw back in the 2004 & 2005 campaign when it devastated areas.
On the soybean side, Japanese beetles were more numerous on our first few samples, then quickly became less noticeable. They were causing some occasional light defoliation in several fields in IL. Other than being a nuisance, they’ve caused little real damage. Some bean leaf beetles also noted. They bear watching, particularly for those producing seed or food grade beans. Moldy or pod mottle virus infected beans could get lots rejected quickly if attention is not paid.
Adequate moisture was evident in most fields. Even though soils weren’t wet at the surface, there was plenty available when examining the soil while pulling the soybeans to do pod counts. There should be ample moisture to finish most fields although some rain wouldn’t hurt as we move through the next couple weeks.
We’ll catch up with you tomorrow for our final installment as we head to the finale in Rochester. It’s been a long week, but we can see the finish line. Meanwhile, it’s time to catch forty winks.