Farm

Winter Wheat
The Illinois winter wheat crop is expected to yield 61 bushels per acre, based on conditions as of May 1. That is five bushels above last year’s yield.
If this yield is realized, total production would be 44.5 million bushels, more than two and a half times last year’s production. Farmers seeded 760,000 acres to winter wheat last fall,  and expect to harvest 730,000 acres for grain.
This compares to 330,000 acres seeded and 295,000 acres harvested in 2010.

Wet soil conditions are causing concern for anhydrous ammonia application this spring, said Fabian Fernandez, University of Illinois Extension specialist in soil fertility and plant nutrition.
Anhydrous ammonia is the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer source in Illinois. In order for this fertilizer to be effective, good soil moisture conditions are necessary, Fernandez said.
Ideal soil conditions are about 15-20 percent moisture. Within these moisture levels, a fine-textured soil, such as silty clay loam, feels slightly moist.

For the second week in a row, cool temperatures, moist conditions and heavy rains have kept seeding and other field activities on hold across the state.
A few areas were able to get out into the field on Sunday evening. The statewide average temperature was 1.2 degrees below normal, at 55.4 degrees.
Average precipitation for the state was 2.34 inches. The norm for the time period is 0.9 inches. Saturated fields and flooding have been a problem at some locations, especially along the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.  

Area farmers are feeling the impact of an exceptionally wet spring, This field, located southeast of Vandalia along U.S. Route 51, remains flooded, even though the Kaskaskia River level is finally dropping. The wet conditions are causing farmers to consider switching to late-season corn hybrids, or possibly planting soybeans instead of corn.