Skip to main contentSkip to main content
AgUpdate
72°
  • Log In
  • user icon Guest
  • Logout
Read Today's E-edition
Subscribe
  • News
    • Illinois Farmer Today News | Crop | Ag Update
    • Livestock
    • State & Regional
  • Markets
    • Crops
    • Livestock
  • Business
    • People & Industry
    • New Products
  • Rural Life
    • Recipes
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Special Sections
    • FIRST Yield Reports
    • Ag Extra
  • E-edition
    • North Edition
    • South Edition
  • CropWatch
  • Weather
  • Classifieds
  • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Place an Ad
  • Shop Local
  • Newsletters
  • Mobile Apps
  • Advertise with Us
  • Ag Publications
    • Ag Update
    • Agri-View
    • Cattle Seller
    • Farm & Ranch Guide
    • Farm & Ranch Network
    • Illinois Farmer Today
    • Iowa Farmer Today
    • Livestock Roundup
    • Midwest Marketer
    • Midwest Messenger
    • Midwest Messenger Kansas
    • Missouri Farmer Today
    • The Prairie Star
    • Tri-State Neighbor
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
© 2026 Lee Enterprises
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy
AgUpdate
News+
Read Today's E-edition
AgUpdate
News+
  • Log In
  • user icon
    Welcome, Guest
    • My Subscription
      Help Center
    • My Account
    • Dashboard
    • Profile
    • Saved items
    • Logout
  • E-editions
  • News
  • Markets
  • Crops
  • Livestock
  • Rural Life
  • Classifieds
  • Midwest Marketer
  • CropWatch
  • Subscribe
  • 72° Cloudy
  • Northwest
  • Northeast
  • West
  • Central
  • East
  • West Southwest
  • East Southeast
  • Southwest
  • Southeast

East

July 6: Finally a break from the rain

    Finally a break from the rain this week with very sunny, hot and humid weather. Corn and beans in well-drained areas are dark green and growing fast, but damage from saturated soils is still very much in evidence in the low-lying areas. Finally have an opportunity to finish post spraying bea…

    Joe Stuckel, Eastern Illinois CropWatch

    Joe Stuckel, Eastern Illinois CropWatch

      Joe Stuckel and his wife Amber, along with their six young children, farm near Buckley in Iroquois County. They are first generation farmers, growing corn and soybeans.

      June 22: Rain makes post herbicide applications a challenge

        More rain this week continues to make post herbicide applications a challenge. Crops look good where drainage is adequate, but there are large ponds where crops are dead or damaged. We are getting to the point where we may not be able to replant areas that have died. Wheat in the area looks …

        June 16: 6 to 8 inches of rain in less than a week

          What a change a week can bring. What started as a very welcome seven-tenths on the morning of Saturday, June 6, has turned into 6 to 8 inches of rain across our area in less than a week. The first 4 inches went into the ground very well but 2-inches-plus on Thursday night into Friday morning…

          June 1: Crops making the most of warm and sunny weather

            We've had warmer and sunny weather this week, and the corn and beans are making the most of it. The corn is maybe a little smaller than this time last year, but stands are very good. Almost all fields in the area are emerged at this point. Conditions have been great for herbicide spraying an…

            May 22: Sidedress nitrogen is picking back up

              Four-tenths of rain at the beginning of the week slowed down field work, but planting is complete for the most part. Sidedress nitrogen is picking back up at the end of the week. We did have to spot in a few acres of early-planted beans from the frost event on May 7. Overall crops are develo…

              May 18: Evaluating frost damage on soybeans

                Finally got some warm weather to finish up planting. We finished up midweek, and I would say most others in our immediate area are finished as well. We are evaluating frost damage on soybeans from May 7 and finding some thin stands in small areas. Windy conditions continue to make opportunit…

                May 11: Terminating cover crops has been a challenge

                  Slow but steady progress this week with several interruptions for light rains. Emerged crops still look pale with the cool and sometimes cloudy conditions. Terminating cover crops has been a challenge due to cool temperatures. Lord willing, we will finish planting early this coming week.

                  Joe Stuckel, Eastern Illinois CropWatch Journal

                  Joe Stuckel, Eastern Illinois CropWatch Journal

                    Joe Stuckel and his wife Amber, along with their six young children, farm near Buckley in Iroquois County. They are first generation farmers, growing corn and soybeans. 

                    Introducing Joe Stuckel

                      Joe Stuckel and his wife Amber, along with their six young children, farm near Buckley in Iroquois County. They are first generation farmers, growing corn and soybeans. They also raise cattle marketed as freezer beef. In addition to farming, Stuckel has a seed business and does some custom s…

                      May 4: Corn should recover with sun and warmth.

                        Not much activity this week as 1 to 2 inches of rain fell on Monday. Some field work and planting resumed Friday and Saturday. Corn and beans that were planted in the second week of April have emerged with good stands. Some emerged corn looks pale but should recover nicely if we get some sun…

                        Looking for an Eastern CropWatcher!

                          We are still in need of a CropWatcher for this district. Call 773-234-9004 or email crystal.reed@lee.net if you are interested in volunteering. Thank you

                          Wrap-up: Crop ended up doing well despite the lack of rain

                            We had a pretty good planting season — got rained out for a couple weeks but got quite a bit planted in during April. The crop ended up doing well despite the lack of rain in August, September and October. Harvest went well. We worked every day and only had a few days when we couldn’t work d…

                            Nov. 3: A lot of fall tillage got done

                              Pretty well finished up with everything. A lot of fall tillage got done this past week and people are doing a lot of maintenance jobs. Anhydrous applications are going on as well.

                              Oct. 27: More farmers are getting done all the time

                                Things are starting to wrap up — more farmers are getting done all the time. Fields are getting fewer and far between. I have seen some anhydrous tanks going down the road.

                                Oct. 20: Nice rain on Saturday afternoon

                                  Nice rain on Saturday afternoon. Everyone was hitting the corn pretty hard last week, expecting more to be finishing up this week. People are starting to do fall tillage, and a lot of fertilizer is being spread.

                                  Oct. 13: Last week was a big go week on corn

                                    Last week was a big go week on corn, with moistures under 20% on what we’ve done. Beans are 98% done — only a few fields here and there are still unharvested.

                                    Oct. 6: Everyone finishing soybeans in the next few days

                                      Last week was busy with lots of soybeans harvested. Everyone will be finishing up in the next few days. Yesterday we had field fires in the area — they were a few miles away from us. Some people switched to corn and will be hitting it hard now, too.

                                      Sept. 29: Full speed ahead on beans around here

                                        Full speed ahead on beans around here. Every combine in the country is going on beans. Bean yields seem to be very good. Fungicide seemed to help the beans too.

                                        Sept. 22: Twenty percent to 30% moisture on the corn

                                          We got a nice shower over the weekend. I think it needed it to get some moisture in the beans and knock some leaves off. A few people are working on corn because it is down and tangled up. Twenty percent to 30% moisture on the corn. I think a lot more will get started this week — might not g…

                                          Sept. 15: Last week was another hot and dry week

                                            A few guys are starting this week. Last week was another hot and dry week. I have heard a few guys doing beans, and they are testing 10% again. Will probably be another week until we get going. Catching up on mowing and prepping for harvest.

                                            Sept. 8: What a difference a week makes

                                              What a difference a week makes — the corn and beans have changed a lot. I haven’t seen anyone in the field yet but wouldn’t be surprised to see someone in the fields later this week. We are still working on getting things ready for harvest.

                                              Aug. 29: Seems to be a lot of hay

                                                We are third-cutting hay — seems to be a lot of hay. Mowing and still getting stuff together for harvest. Some of the corn is starting to turn a little bit.

                                                Aug. 25: Waiting for the corn and beans to get dry enough to do something

                                                  We’re getting stuff ready for fall and doing some mowing yet. Waiting for the corn and beans to get dry enough to do something. We will be doing corn first it looks like.

                                                  Aug. 18: Everything is still pretty green yet

                                                    Everything is still pretty green yet. I haven’t seen any beans turn. We’ve had enough moisture, corn is still staying pretty green. Some farms got 4 inches of rain and some had two-tenths of an inch during a storm we had last week. We did have some wind damage that knocked corn down. Other t…

                                                    More East

                                                    Marketplace

                                                    Recently Listed

                                                    R & M STEEL - Ad from 2026-07-10
                                                    Other

                                                    R & M STEEL - Ad from 2026-07-10

                                                    R & M Steel

                                                    PO BOX 580, CALDWELL, ID 83606
                                                    +1(866)454-1800
                                                    Curly's Radiator Service - Ad from 2026-07-10
                                                    Car

                                                    Curly's Radiator Service - Ad from 2026-07-10

                                                    NILSEN HAY, INC - Ad from 2026-07-10
                                                    Farm

                                                    NILSEN HAY, INC - Ad from 2026-07-10

                                                    Weaver Farm Service Inc. - Ad from 2026-07-10
                                                    Sale

                                                    Weaver Farm Service Inc. - Ad from 2026-07-10

                                                    Weaver Farm Service Inc.

                                                    1602 N COLORADO, Minden, NE 68959
                                                    +1(308)832-1051

                                                    Marketplace

                                                    Find the equipment you're looking for

                                                    • Tractors
                                                    • Combines
                                                    • Harvesters
                                                    • Planting
                                                    • Misc Equipment
                                                    • Hay Equipment
                                                    • Trailers
                                                    • Trucks
                                                    • Livestock
                                                    • Seed
                                                    • Feed/Hay
                                                    AgUpdate
                                                    • Facebook
                                                    • Twitter
                                                    • Search
                                                    • Contact Us
                                                    • Work Here
                                                    • Advertise
                                                    Prefer us on Google

                                                    Sites & Partners

                                                    • Agri-View
                                                    • Cattle Seller
                                                    • Farm & Ranch Guide
                                                    • Farm & Ranch Network
                                                    • Illinois Farmer Today
                                                    • Iowa Farmer Today
                                                    • Livestock Roundup
                                                    • Midwest Marketer
                                                    • Midwest Messenger
                                                    • Minnesota Farm Guide
                                                    • Missouri Farmer Today
                                                    • The Prairie Star
                                                    • Midwest Messenger Kansas
                                                    • Tri-State Neighbor

                                                    Services

                                                    • Tractors
                                                    • Combines
                                                    • Harvesters
                                                    • Planting
                                                    • Hay Equipment
                                                    • Trucks & Trailers
                                                    • Livestock
                                                    • Seed, Feed, & Hay
                                                    • Shopping
                                                    © Copyright 2026 AgUpdate, 707 S 13th Street Tekamah, NE 68061
                                                    Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertising Terms of Use | Do Not Sell My Info | Cookie Preferences
                                                    Powered by BLOX Content Management System from bloxdigital.com.
                                                    • Notifications
                                                    • Settings
                                                    You don't have any notifications.

                                                    Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

                                                    Topics

                                                    Breaking News