Corn, soybean harvests near completion

But harvest will extend beyond Thanksgiving: ‘It’ll get done, it’s just a matter of when’

Corn still stands in a farm field earlier this month in central Illinois. (One Illinois/Ted Cox)

By Ted Cox

It looks as if the harvest will extend beyond Thanksgiving for many Illinois farmers, but they should be thankful for not being farther north.

The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture Crop Progress report released Monday afternoon found that 88 percent of the Illinois corn crop was in as of Sunday. That was up from 80 percent last week and ahead of the 84 percent registered nationally.

But the entire crop was in as of this time last year, and the state’s five-year average is 99 percent.

Joe White, president of the Kane County Farm Bureau, told FarmWeekNow.com last week, “There’s still a lot of corn. I’d say 50 percent is done” in his area of northeast Illinois. “It’ll get done. It’s just a matter of when.”

Iowa and Minnesota made identical gains last week, rising to 86 percent of the corn harvest in, up from 77 percent the week before. But the Wisconsin corn harvest only crossed the halfway point last week, with 57 percent of the crop in as of Sunday, up from 44 percent the week before. The state usually has 85 percent of the crop in at this point of the fall.

The Illinois soybean harvest neared completion, rising to 95 percent from 92 percent the week before, ahead of the national average of 94 percent. But there were still beans in the fields in areas across the state.

Richland County Farm Bureau member Clayton Oesch told FarmWeekNow he still had almost 300 acres of corn and soybeans left to harvest as of last Wednesday.

“Conditions are kind of questionable,” Oesch said. “Once we get back going, we’re about a week from being done.”

The USDA reported Illinois farmers enjoyed four days last week suitable for working the fields, more than the week before or the same week a year ago, but still not enough to finish the harvest.

FarmWeekNow reported, “The early winter-like conditions also had an adverse effect on the winter wheat crop.” In Illinois, winter wheat is running ahead of the five-year average, with 91 percent emerged. But the quality was down, with 42 percent of the crop graded good and just 3 percent excellent. The combined 45 percent was running 20 percent behind the winter wheat graded good or excellent a year ago.