Journal Star (Peoria, IL) (KRT): May 13—PEORIA—After a slow start, central Illinois farmers appear to have most of their corn in the ground.

Area farmers, state numbers show, appear to be faring much better than the rest of the state.

Statewide figures released Monday by the Illinois Department of Agriculture indicated 60 percent of the state’s corn crop had been planted, compared with 88 percent at the same time last year.

“The week to 10 days of good weather came just in time,” said Patrick Kirchhofer, manager of the Peoria County Farm Bureau. This year’s planting season has been hampered by cold temperatures and heavy rain that have made fields too wet to work in.

“Most of the corn is in, in Peoria County. I’d estimate that 80 to 90 percent of it has been planted (in the county). There are still some fields that need to be planted, especially in the southern part of the county,” he said.

“We had a real spring this year,” said Kirchhofer, referring to the cooler temperatures experienced in March and April.

In Woodford County, the top corn-producing county in the state last year on a bushels-per-acre basis, the corn crop is 75 to 80 percent planted, said Pete Fandel, crop sciences educator for that county’s Extension office. “Our farmers made a lot of progress last week,” he said.

Weekend rain that dropped just over an inch of wet stuff in the county may slow completion of this year’s planting season, said Fandel. “That will keep them out of the fields for a couple of days,” he said.

With rain forecast for Wednesday, some farmers may have to wait even longer to get their corn crop in, said Fandel.

Mike Schachtrup, who with his brothers farms about 6,000 acres in Peoria, Tazewell, Knox and Warren counties, completed planting corn on Saturday, just before the weekend rain started.

“It was perfect. We got finished just in time. Now we’re ready to plant soybeans,” he said.

Farmers don’t face the same urgency with soybeans as they do with corn, said Kirchhofer. “Soybeans can wait. Farmers have until the end of May for planting,” he said.

“Soil temperatures are a little low right now for soybeans,” added Kirchhofer, noting that the soybean plant is more sensitive to the cold than corn.

Seven percent of the state’s soybean crop has been planted, compared to 33 percent at this time last year, according to state statistics.

Author: Steve Tarter, Journal Star, Peoria, Ill.

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