Third state in a 12-state tour
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
Chief Commodity Strategist for Farms.com Risk Management Moe Agostino and his team rolled into Illinois as the 2016 U.S. Corn Belt Crop Tour continues to visit farms and farmers throughout the American Midwest.
Like Indiana and Ohio before it, corn fields in Illinois are suffering from a lack of moisture.
"The next two to three weeks is critical," Agostino said. "(Crops) are going to need a drink soon. If (they) don’t finish strong and don’t get some moisture in August, you can be down to 150 (bushels per acre).”
Farmers are echoing the need for rain.
“We’re really dry,” said Brian Bradshaw, a cash crop farmer from New Salem, Illinois. “We need (rain) in the next 10 to 14 days or we’ll really be toast.”
When it comes to soybeans in Illinois, the fields seem to be holding up despite the lack of rain.
“We look pretty good,” said Cara Meteer, District Sales Manager with Great Lakes Hybrid. “I think beans prove their worth in a year like this with all the heat.”
Overall, Agostino said he’s impressed with crop status in Illinois.
“We saw a lot of tasseled corn, more than we saw in Ohio or Indiana. I think we are going to have to rate this crop (including beans) at 8.5 or 9 out of 10.”
Be on the lookout for Moe and his team as Crop Tour makes its way into Missouri.
If you’re a farmer in Missouri or Wisconsin and want Moe Agostino and his team to stop at your farm, fill out the volunteer form online.
You can also follow the tour on social media using the hashtag #cornbelt16.