Commercial Agriculture spans a wide range of topics and works to address the needs of various producers. The expertise of our local educational specialists combined with the resources of the statewide Illinois Extension system form a powerful source of information and insight. Looking for an answer to a specific question? Scroll down to see the many resources available including farmdoc and Weekly Update, or contact Russel Higgins (below) or another one of our educators.
2019 YIELD SURVEY is now available (online version) (PDF version)
A unique opportunity: When corn and soybean planting stretched into June and even July in Illinois in 2019, we found ourselves grasping for any information we could find on 1) how much of an effect this would have on yield, and 2) what if anything we should change in management when planting was delayed and, in some cases, very late. What planting date data we had was somewhat helpful, but we did not have any data on what could happen when planting is delayed into the second half of June. While it may be tempting to write off this year as a fluke from which there are no real lessons to be learned, we may want to rethink that. What we have is a giant, unplanned and involuntary experiment that is being conducted by Illinois farmers this year. This experiment can help us understand the ramifications of how planting date and variety maturity affect overall yields. This gives us the opportunity to collect a small amount of data on a large number of fields, which can be used to provide at least some idea of what we can do if we find ourselves in this kind of situation again in the future.
Extension Educator, Commercial Agriculture
rahiggin@illinois.edu
815-942-2725
Featured Resources
- Illinois Pesticide Review: The Illinois Pesticide Review provides concise information on legislation, regulations, and other developments directly impacting pesticide use in Illinois.
- The Bulletin: Weekly bulletins during the growing season, letting you know what problem pests to look for before they reach your field
- Weekly Outlook: Published each Monday, addresses current and prospective developments in crop and livestock markets
- farmdoc: A very useful center that will help you better manage and operate your farm operation.
- Integrated Pest Management: Resources for managing pests that affect grain crops, fruit and vegetable crops, and school landscapes
- Certified Crop Advisor: Take classes and earn Certified Crop Adviser credit.
- Illinois Statistics from NASS: Commodity production estimates by county