Illinois
Headache of an Illinois spring – Brownfield Ag News
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Headache of an Illinois spring
A southeastern Illinois farmer says it’s been a rough spring.
“Well, it’s been a headache.”
Karl Probst, who grows corn, soybeans, and wheat, tells Brownfield he hopes to finish soybean planting before the next rain.
“Early we were sitting good and then it started raining.” He says, “The month of April here on the farm we got 7.3 inches. I didn’t get anything done in April. I think I was sidelined for 45 days.”
Probst finally started planting on May 13th, and he says despite the delays he’s still optimistic.
“Yeah, it’s a little later. The corn going in, but I’ve got good emergence, and the color is good. So I’m not too worried about that,” he says. “Only trouble is, it’s just gonna pollinate just a little bit later.”
Probst isn’t alone trying to finish up planting. The USDA’s latest crop progress report shows 20% of Illinois corn and 28% of soybeans have yet to be planted.
AUDIO: Karl Probst – Coles County, IL farmer