Area wheat harvest winds down

FAIRBURY – The 2018 growing season is rolling right along as most of the area wheat has been harvested and the corn is looking as lush and green as anyone can remember.

Livingston County farmer Gary Steidinger of Fairbury experienced another smooth wheat harvest. The statewide wheat harvest progress has been running about a week ahead of normal.

“The weather wasn’t the greatest for wheat,” Steidinger said. “It’s been kind of a shorter crop than we’ve had in the past several years.”

Steidinger believes corn has full potential this year as the fields in his area look great. Soybeans, however, could be a different story.

“Soybeans are anybody’s guess always but they don’t look real good right now.”

McLean County Crop Update:

Brian Schaumburg farms around Chenoa in McLean County and notes the above-average accumulation of growing degree units for corn. The number is about 300 above average, which means an early harvest is likely. Schaumburg has never seen crop development so advanced for this time of year.

“The beans look good. Even the stuff that got wet feet earlier is coming out of that,” Schaumburg explained.

Fungicide and nutrient applications continue on corn and it won’t be long before applications begin on soybeans. If the heat moderates in the next 10 days to two weeks, Schaumburg believes farmers could “bang out” another crop like last year.

“We should be in really good shape,” Schaumburg concludes.

Schaumburg admits nobody wins a trade war and he is hopeful that cooler heads prevail between the United States and China.