SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (IRN) – The waterlogged fields are holding back the 2015 farming season in Illinois.
More than 40 percent of the state’s soil moisture is reported as excess – both topsoil and subsoil. The conditions are rated “good to excellent” for only 55 percent of the corn and 47 percent of the soybeans.
That’s a problem says Doug Hartwig, Heartland Region director for the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
“I think that’s kind of reflected in the crop conditions,” Hartwig says. “When you’ve got half the crop that’s rated good to excellent, there’s a lot of crop that’s not that great out there right now.”
Soybeans are 56 percent blooming, 10 points behind last year. Corn is 17 percent in the dough stage, in line with averages.
Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook
