Meier: Crops Have Growth Spurt After Rain

(AgriNews) – The rains came. I’ve heard reports of between 2 an 5.5 inches across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin this weekend. There was a pocket of hail in the storm south of German Valley, stretching from Illinois Highway 26 to south of Seward. Shredding of corn leaves, but soybeans were hit harder. One field my parents saw on a Sunday drive was bad enough they had to stop the car and look closer to tell what had been planted in the field the damage was so extensive.

We’ve been overcast and cooler since the storms passed through. It made for some nice test plot and field walking with a fellow seed agent and customers. There are some great looking fields out there right now. We did see a couple corn plants with cutworm damage. Also found one armyworm in a corn plot and a stinkbug in a soybean field. Saw a number of fields with rapid growth, pale yellow leaves. Nothing to worry about yet, but it never hurts to check often. They are calling for us to climb back into the 90s this weekend. With the moisture, that should prompt another growth spurt.

Alfalfa we drove by looks to be starting to send buds up, so I would think second crop cutting will be coming shortly. Hopefully, they get a window clear of rain, so hay can be made in good conditions.

Wheat is starting to look more amber than green. Looks to be solid wheat stands out there with very little weed pressure. Wheat fields are always too beautiful to see in the breeze at this stage of development.

This Saturday is the Ag Breakfast at the Stephenson County Fairgrounds in Freeport. Come on up for a hearty breakfast featuring products grown and produced here in Stephenson County. It’s always a crowd-pleaser and a great way to showcase local agriculture to the community.