PEORIA, Ill. – The U.S. Drought Monitor says all of Illinois is abnormally dry, with a significant part of the state experiencing moderate drought conditions.
RFD Radio’s DeLoss Jahnke says the drought presents a real hazard for farmers at harvest time.
“You have to be awfully careful, especially in the fall if the wind picks up. It is conceivable that with a lot of belts and moving parts in combines, where you could have some fire risk,” Jahnke says.
He tells WMBD Radio’s “Greg and Dan”, farmers who’ve planted early this year aren’t expecting too much trouble from current conditions, but those who planted late in the spring, could definitely experience some crop loss.
“A lot of folks had two different planting seasons essentially…because we got wet in the spring, and they took five to six weeks to glean. They planted some, but didn’t get done until later in May,” Jahnke says.
The U.S. Drought Monitor currently shows roughly 45-percent of Illinois is experiencing a moderate drought. Some areas of Southern Illinois are facing severe drought conditions.
Jahnke says farmers are having to look at planting more crops earlier than in past years, due to an apparent shift in the seasons. He also says many farmers are now planting their soybeans first, ahead of corn, since the beans can stay in the ground longer.
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