07/15/11

Todd Easton Coles County July 15 2011: The summer heat came on in force over the weekend and beginning of the week but seemed to be stressing people much more than the crops. Toward the middle of the week a front came through bringing very little moisture but fortunately cooler temperatures. Corn fields are still making great progress with the earlier April planted fields completing pollination and entering the R2 blister stage and the May planted fields at the R1 silk stage. On the growing degree day chart we are over 100 units above the average accumulation. This should help make up for some of the planting delay last spring and not make our harvest season excessively late this year. The yellow Air Tractor planes are furiously buzzing overhead making Fungicide applications on many of the fields and will probably be busy for a week or two. Soybean fields are still looking good as they generally are entering the R3 beginning pod stage. All the fields that I have walked through are at a good waist height with very good pod potential. Both crops showed their health by shrugging off the intense heat earlier in the week. Now all we can do is hope for a few more good showers and reasonable temperatures through the next month to bring both crops to maturity and not diminish potential yield. As we enter the famous dog days of summer please remember to take the proper hot weather precautions for yourselves along with the people and animals around you.