Another week of mostly sitting as we continue on this weather roller coaster ride this spring. We were able to stick in some corn on May 4, but then showers arrived that evening, then on and off the rest of the week. Next week’s forecast shows good weather, so look for planting to ramp up th…
This past week began with a significant rain event. Here at Decatur, we had 1.6 inches, but south of town it was over 3 inches. This, combined with cool temps, made for zero planting and slow crop growth. What has emerged has excellent stands. The weather looks to improve in the upcoming wee…
This past week has had planters going full speed ahead with corn and beans. It’s been difficult getting many days when winds died down to make herbicide applications. In our area, more bean acres are in than corn. However, corn will get the focus now as we near May 1. Soil conditions have be…
Tom is a co-owner of Leeper Family Farms LLC which in Decatur in Macon County. They raise corn, soybeans, wheat and hay. Tom farms with his son Evan Leeper and son-in-law Nate Doty. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science from Illinois State University. He is a CCA and sells seed …
Spring has sprung and the bell has rung for planting to begin for 2026. We started planting beans April 11 and managed five days of work until we received 0.7 of an inch of rain on Wednesday night. More beans are going in the ground than corn at this point. We switched a planter over to corn…
Tom is a co-owner of Leeper Family Farms LLC which in Decatur in Macon County.
Tom is a co-owner of Leeper Family Farms LLC which in Decatur in Macon County. They raise corn, soybeans, wheat and hay. Tom farms with his son Evan Leeper and son-in-law Nate Doty. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science from Illinois State University. He is a CCA and sells seed …
As this crop season wraps up there is much to be thankful for as we turn the calendar toward next year. Though commodity prices have struggled we were blessed with an above-average crop. Also, our family has another grandchild on the way. Always try to find the positives in what you do. It m…
Harvest in our area has wrapped up for the most part. Tillage and anhydrous application are taking priority now. I change caps and spend time on seed sales now. I also have another group of calves coming this week as a part of my freezer beef business. There is always something happening on …
We wrapped up harvest this past week by cutting our double-crop beans. Overall, we were happy with yields of corn and beans. The year had its share of ups and downs but in the end we were blessed. Now our focus has turned to fall fertilization and tillage and making decisions as we prepare f…
Harvest continues to grind along, and the end is near. Soybeans in our area are 90% done, and corn is approaching 75% finished. Yields have varied in both corn and beans. Fungicide made a difference this year on the plus side. Fall fertilizer is being applied and tillage has begun. Farmers a…
Harvest continues at a rapid pace here in central Illinois. Dry conditions persist, and our drought rating has intensified. Most soybeans have been cut, and corn is probably 50% harvested. We sowed our winter wheat last week with the saying in mind “Plant in the dust, bins will bust!” Time w…
Harvest continues to roll on with these dry conditions. My biggest concern at this point are field fires. With the low humidity and breezy south winds, it’s the perfect recipe for fire potential. Please blow your equipment off at the end of each day and keep fire extinguishers current. We ha…
After a wet beginning of the week, harvest has resumed with full force. Drought conditions persist even with the rainfall which totaled more than 2 inches. Crops are maturing rapidly, and grain moisture is declining. Yields have varied depending on topography and rainfall. Everyone is hoping…
Harvest is in full swing now as many bean varieties have matured and corn moistures have declined. We have been happy with yields to date. We are 25% completed with harvest as the dry weather has let us move along well. However, this next week appears to be wet. I can sense the seasons chang…
Harvest has started here in Central Illinois! It’s been rather slow as corn moistures have hovered in the mid to upper 20s. However, with the current heat and drought conditions, corn will continue to dry rapidly. We’ve started beans, and we are well pleased with yields at this point, althou…
Cool, dry weather continues to dominate our weather pattern at this time. Toward the end of this coming week warm air will return though. The harvest is right around the corner as we are preparing to cut our first beans later this week. Corn is drying out, but moisture is still in the mid to…
This week has been filled with Farm Progress Show activities! Our farm hosted some folks from Spain and France of the Quality Corn Group. They contract corn for popcorn, roasted corn, corn for nachos and semolina. We also took in the show and worked in a food tent too. The weather was outsta…
Cooler weather has moved in, which is a big change from what we’ve had. This should help the corn add some dry matter to finish out. Southern rust has made its appearance here, but the earlier planted corn is past the stage for fungicide application. Some early maturity beans are starting to…
You can usually count on a rain during the State Fair and this year didn’t disappoint. Rain fell in Springfield, but at least there were no storms. The Decatur area picked up substantial rainfall to the tune of 3 inches. This was somewhat isolated in amount though. I’m beginning to see the f…
The war on waterhemp has all but ended for this year except for some hand-to-hand combat of hoe versus weed. Overall, I’ve been pleased with herbicide control, but improvements can always be made. We continue to watch crops head toward maturity. Some SDS is showing up in the beans, but at th…
Finally, a cold front moved through to pull the heat and humidity out of the air and make for much more comfortable conditions. Fortunately, no severe storms accompanied the passing; instead, we ended up with showers and an inch of rain. This actually put us above average for rainfall in Jul…
It’s been another hot, humid and gooey week here in central Illinois. There have been intermittent showers, though, to keep this crop moving forward. With these conditions comes the possibility of disease presence in corn and beans. I believe fungicide applications will pay back this year. H…
“Summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime” is an appropriate tune as we’ve had high temperatures and lots of humidity! There have been pop-up showers which have helped, then over the weekend we picked up a 3-inch rain. This sets the corn crop well on its way to filling ears. Fungicide appl…
The hot, dry weather has persisted this past week, although we have caught a few pop-up showers that have been beneficial. South and east of us caught as much as 4-plus inches of rain, but in our area we were limited to 1.2. Crops look good at this point. Corn is pollinating and fungicide is…
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