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 …
This past week was filled with road mowing and field border spraying. Crops are looking good in our area, with the exception of drowned-out areas from previous heavy rainfall. Disease pressure has been minimal at this point. This will have to be monitored closely going forward, as some leaf …
Crops continue to flourish with warm and humid weather. It’s better for them than us by far! Most post spraying for weeds has wrapped up. I suspect late flushes of waterhemp will appear at some point. Application of fungicide has all but been completed as well. Haymaking continues to be a ch…
The weather this past week allowed us to catch up on hay making. It was less humid, which made for some really pretty hay. With the dry forecast we look to finish our second cutting this week. The abundant rainfall has led to excellent recovery of our hay fields. The wheat beans emerged in f…
Hot, hot, hot has been the weather theme this past week. Add in the high humidity and it’s been miserable! Our concentration has been on harvesting wheat. We were successful in getting our wheat acres cut and the double-crop beans sowed prior to the rain event on Friday evening. Excellent yi…
Conditions were favorable for good crop growth as we dried soils out a bit this past week. With rain in the forecast, we continue to let hay stand for a drier time. Early-planted soybeans were blooming by the summer solstice, which is a good sign for yield potential. Our hand-sampled wheat t…
This past week brought severe storms into our area. Besides heavy rainfall, some fields sustained hail damage, causing some extreme losses in some places. The advantage is that crops are at a stage where recovery can take place, but how much is unknown. We have received over 7 inches of rain…
This week turned wet as we received a total of 3.2 inches of rain from three different rain events. We were fortunate not to have storm damage, although there were areas not far from us that did. With the wet weather came a lot of heat and humidity which has furthered crop growth. With the e…
We continued our dry spell this week which allowed for more hay making, roadside mowing and post application spraying. I realize this is an opportunity for crops to root down, but we could use some rain. It is in the forecast, so we’re hoping to get a soaker at some point. Overall, crops loo…
We have moved into a drier weather pattern, at least temporarily. This has allowed us to make good progress with fieldwork. We have been sidedressing nitrogen, applying postemergence herbicides to corn and beans and making the first cutting of hay. This dry time will help crops to establish …
It was a very slow week due to the rain we received on Monday. With our crop planted, we’ve turned our attention to catching our mowing up, preparing to sidedress nitrogen, and getting some hay made. It looks like the weatherman has cleared Memorial Day weekend and a few days thereafter, so …
It was a busy week as the weather allowed us to play catch up with planting. Most of the rest of the corn and beans that needed to be planted went in the ground. We finished up this week and got started sidedressing some of our early-planted corn. There’s much to get done, but the weather lo…
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…
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…
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