Fieldwork continues despite dryness

TOWANDA – Sprayers and side dress applicators are making rounds up and down some dry fields here in Central Illinois.

Dennis Wentworth, who farms throughout southeastern McLean County, is finishing up his side dressing and corn spraying and will be ready for post soybean applications soon.

“Dry dirt makes everything work better but, of course, we’d just like to be rained out here for a few days,” Wentworth told The Central Illinois Farm Network last week.

The heavier soils in Wentworth’s part of the county tend to hold moisture better but another week of dryness could result in crop stress. According to Wentworth, the corn came up well along with most of his soybeans.

“The early-planted beans that a lot of farmers went to this year are looking exceptionally well right now.”

The Wentworths planted most of their corn and soybeans during a non-stop window without much of a break at all this spring. They plan to double crop soybeans behind some early harvested wheat. Wentworth has observed dry fields near Colfax and Downs but better moisture near Bellflower and LeRoy.

Things have been going well this spring for Livingston County farmer Jason Bunting who also serves as president of the Livingston County Farm Bureau. His family primarily farms in the Emington area and started planting corn April 28. Some spotty showers didn’t keep them out of the field long as they had all of their crops in the ground within two weeks.

“We’ve been blessed with a little bit of rain but we could always use a little bit more,” Bunting noted.

Activities on the Bunting farm include side dressing and hay cutting.