A little bit of harvest is getting started as we approach mid-September and Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau President Justin Allaman says it really depends on the planting dates:
“A few operations in the area that got started and I think there will be that initial push of things that were planted early or short season corn, get your end rows opened up. Then we might see a lull as the rest dries down. I think a lot of it depends on planting date, what crop stage were you at when that July heat came in. I do think that nighttime lows that were higher than we would have liked did take some top end off. Pro Farmers surprise everybody with a national corn number that came in lower, so it has yet to be seen what the extent of the damage is. I think it will be variable. There is good corn out there and then there is also some stuff that might look a bit off.”
In 2026, Illinois farmers are projected to harvest approximately 2.3214 billion bushels of corn from about 10.95 million acres, while soybean production is expected to be robust, with specific figures still being finalized as harvest approaches.
