Nationwide, farmers have been able to plant the 2025 crop at what some have called record time. This has especially been the case in western Illinois, shares Warren Henderson Farm Bureau President Jake Armstrong.
“I think the interesting thing to see this year is we’re way ahead of schedule on this planting progress,” says Armstrong. “But what didn’t get planted or is behind, wasn’t just kind of behind. It was at zero. It just didn’t happen.”
This was especially the case in southern Illinois.
“[They] just keep getting rain and rain and rain and rain. So, how those areas shape up in the growing year will be interesting to watch. Will that effectively crash the corn or soybean markets? Probably not. I don’t think it’s enough acres to do it,” says Armstrong.
April rainfall for southern Illinois totaled from 8 to 12 inches compared to the average of 4.5 to 5.5 inches.
