Illinois is Racing Through Harvest Season

According to USDA’s Crop Progress report released earlier this week, soybean and corn harvest in Illinois are solidly ahead of the five-year pace as of Oct. 21. Here’s a look at the season so far, according to an agronomist and three simple pie charts.

Corn Harvest and Yield

Corn in Illinois is 67% harvested, according to USDA. This leaves 3.55 million acres of corn left to be harvested, based on data from the agency’s Acreage Report released in June. As of Oct. 20, the Land of Lincoln is eight percentage points ahead of its five-year average and slightly ahead of where harvest was at this point in 2023. 

Illinois-based Agronomy Service Representative Phil Krieg said weather has been harvest-friendly in the state. Yields have not suffered from dry weather later in the summer, he said.

“Great weather with low humidity has helped to dry the corn making harvest fast,” Krieg said. “Growers are happy with yields saying that they are average to above average.”

Soybean Harvest and Yield

Soybeans are now 76% harvested in Illinois as of Oct. 20, USDA said. According to the agency‘s Acreage Report from June, there are 2.6 million acres of soybeans left to be harvested in Illinois. Progress is nine percentage points ahead of the five-year average, but it is right in line with where harvest progress was at the same point last year (75%). Double crop soybeans have not been harvested yet, Krieg said. 

Progress has been good, but yields are not up to par, Krieg said. Dry weather in the final stages of the growing season has meant “Yields are below average and many farmers are disappointed.”

Days Suitable for Fieldwork

One year ago, Illinois had 5.4 days suitable for fieldwork in the week ending Oct. 20. USDA reported that 7.0 days were suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Oct. 20, 2024, due in part to the lack of rain for this time in the harvest season. Temperatures across the state were below normal for the week.

More rain than the average has been predicted for the state by the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) as October nears an end.