Cold, Wet Weather Slows Illinois Crop Planting Progress

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois farmers had only 2.7 days suitable for fieldwork last week, as colder-than-normal temperatures and below-average rainfall limited planting. Statewide temperatures averaged 3.2 degrees below normal. Corn planting reached just 1 percent, compared to the five-year average of 4 percent, and soybeans matched the average at 2 percent. Topsoil and subsoil moisture levels remained mostly adequate across the state.