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How would you describe the 2017 growing season? Epic? Biblical? Thanks to floods, drought, off-target dicamba injury, Japanese beetles and more, agronomists like Karen Corrigan, McGillicuddy Corrigan Agronomics, are ready to put 2017 in the rearview mirror.
“I’ve never hated a season more in 20 years,” Corrigan says. (Read more of Corrigan’s take on 2017.)
The good news? Yields, for the most part, were pleasantly surprising. University of Illinois Extension agronomist Emerson Nafziger has experienced enough growing seasons to know you never give up on the crop too soon. “When the Aug. 1 forecast came out, everyone said there’s no way that can be true,” he notes. “But if you looked at the crop, kernel numbers were good, and the canopy was holding up.”
As September forecasts and harvest numbers rolled in, yield doubts began to fade.
By Nov. 9, the USDA crop report forecast a 198-bushel-per-acre average for Illinois corn — up a bushel from 2016 — and 58 bushels for soybeans, which was down 1 bushel from 2016. While harvested corn acres are down, overall production — forecast at 2.19 billion bushels — could be a record-breaker. Soybean production could hit record levels if the projected 611 million bushels becomes reality.
For sure, not every farmer harvested record-breaking yields.
Kelly Robertson, a certified crop adviser from southern Illinois, says a few drops of rain went a long way this year. “One farmer told me he had a 100-bushel swing in corn yields, from his best to worst,” he says. “Those fields are a mile and a half apart.”
As farmers lock in 2018 crop plans, here is a look back at the 2017 highs and lows from Twitter.
#plant17
Macoupin county Illinois. #plant17 pic.twitter.com/qtJdfNSC15
— Mathew McClenathan (@McClenathan) April 30, 2017
In many areas, #plant17 turned into #replant17.
Nafziger says April rainfall was about 3 inches more than the 30-year average, and the first half of May was wet.
Many of Acres underwater in Central Illinois! #Replant17 pic.twitter.com/7n1f731m9G
— Rhett Dambacher (@ILcornfarmer) April 30, 2017
Start, stop, repeat was the name of the game for #plant17.
#plant17 is finally continuing this afternoon after a 10 day rain break, starting up soybeans in Western Illinois pic.twitter.com/giOa3QxWFQ
— Bradley Nelson (@nabor605) May 6, 2017
ILLINOIS #REPLANT17 GETS UGLIER. West IL grower friend says it's worst in his 40 years of farming. East IL friend replanted almost 1000 ac. https://t.co/ESwFFP0ts3
— Max Armstrong (@maxarmstrong) May 20, 2017
It's #raining in Illinois!#plant17 #flood17 pic.twitter.com/wYZEIUMU5f
— Ron Haase (@Ron_Elo_Haase) May 26, 2017
Hard not have a sick feeling in your stomach when your doing all over again. #replant2017 pic.twitter.com/RPAwR2zg7M
— Brian A McCloskey (@BrianAMcCloske2) May 15, 2017
As the season progressed, a new issue appeared in soybean fields that pitted neighbors against neighbors and companies against university Extension: off-target dicamba damage. Where did it come from? How did it happen? In many cases, farmers had more questions than answers, which is why new EPA requirements for 2018 include training and extensive record keeping.
#dicamba
Took a scouting trip through Champaign, Douglas, and Edgar counties today. Hoped I wouldn't find this, but... pic.twitter.com/MDDKp3IFTs
— Aaron Hager (@UIWeedSci) June 22, 2017
Pod damage showing itself from #Dicamba17 #spray17 pic.twitter.com/FS71vV9NpQ
— Jeremy Wolf (@jwolf7447) July 17, 2017
Customer calls not slowing down, random fields as I drive IL, and my hometown with people I grew up with - my life is consumed by dicamba pic.twitter.com/jJDzsYXcOG
— Stephanie Porter (@skporter) July 25, 2017
I find it really disheartening how those in industry have attacked the integrity of Extension Weed Scientists. The Ext work for you not them
— Karen Corrigan (@weedgirl24) July 12, 2017
For more on #dicamba, click here.
Off-target dicamba damage wasn’t the only headline news in July. Many areas in Illinois went from too much moisture to not enough. In southern Illinois, Robertson says two brief rain events saved the crops lucky enough to be in the right spot. “Even though they weren’t big rain events, they made the crop,” he says, adding that the rain was scattered, at best.
For a 1/2 or less rain since June 17 our corn was holding decent till the last few days of 90+ temps pic.twitter.com/pGk3V862Ti
— Josh Schick (@JoshSchick3) July 19, 2017
Southern rust made an earlier-than-usual appearance at the end of July.
Southern Corn Rust confirmed in Franklin Co ILL yesterday. At least we are first in something this year! pic.twitter.com/eZjA69r6SP
— Kelly Robertson (@KC9FVK) July 21, 2017
Then, Japanese beetles came back with a vengeance.
Say hello to my little friends. It's true, Monmouth has some of the biggest #japanesebeetle pop'ns I've seen pic.twitter.com/pKmfd4ERg5
— Kelly Estes (@ILPestSurvey) July 26, 2017
The Japanese beetles are still out in full force in #soybeans near Jacksonville, IL pic.twitter.com/RtXSyOBBAb
— Stephanie Porter (@skporter) August 7, 2017
The rain that plagued planting season was nowhere to be found in August and September, when Nafziger says rainfall trended below the 30-year average. September rainfall totaled less than an inch, which is about 3 inches short of the norm.
Gonna get missed again #drought17/18 pic.twitter.com/3rlhMDxfqW
— Brian (@BrianJCorkill) September 19, 2017
Fifth Driest September, Fourth Driest August-September for Illinois @watersurvey https://t.co/ieXVYAWswc pic.twitter.com/Jbb0Ao9cwg
— Jim Angel (@JimAngel22) October 2, 2017
In October, just as farmers hit their harvesting stride, rain delays became the norm.
#harvest2017
This sputtering sprinkle is killin my soybean vibe right now, go away rain! We don’t need you until november! #harvest17
— David Ebert (@ebertgrainfarms) October 3, 2017
Heavy rain has impacted #Harvest17 this October in the Midwest. Harvested corn is behind the 5-year average in all nine states. (@usda_nass) pic.twitter.com/QyTD6dn817
— MRCC (@MidwestClimate) October 19, 2017
October in Illinois was 10th Wettest https://t.co/kdY2rAArCI pic.twitter.com/idG5DVgO4x
— Jim Angel (@JimAngel22) November 2, 2017
If I could just have another week and a half without rain. pic.twitter.com/Z8ok85zAIa
— Kyle Kiefer (@KyleKiefer2) October 31, 2017
Despite the starts, stops, ups and downs, farmers finally closed the book on 2017.
There it is! The obligatory last pass pic. #harvest17 pic.twitter.com/zAvOMXRNZe
— Nathan Wentworth (@nwent31) November 3, 2017
The last load of 2017. And for a member of our family, the last load of his 49th and final harvest. pic.twitter.com/DL4S8DCsxB
— Michael Peiffer (@Peiffer_Farms) November 17, 2017
How did the crops survive Mother Nature’s gauntlet? Nafziger credits genetics and breeding for more stress-tolerant hybrids and varieties. “The plants have better root systems that can get into the soil and tap into the water supply,” he says. “The crop is more capable of tolerating stress — like drought.”
A cooler-than-average August, when Nafziger says soybean yields are made, reduced crop stress and delayed maturity, lengthening the filling period. September brought a warm, dry period that helped put a good finish on the crop.
The other key factor? Sunshine. The shortage of rainfall in June and August translated into sunnier days. “That was a big part of the story for 2017,” Nafziger says. “In every month — June, July and August — sunshine was above normal.”
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