The state’s climatologist is predicting Illinois farmers are likely to endure more burdensomely wet weather while they try to plant cash crops this spring after suffering major losses as a result of a record-wet planting season last year.

April through June is likely to be wetter than normal in Illinois, according to rainfall projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, posing a challenge to corn and soybean farmers in the heart of planting season.
Right now those farmers are calculating their losses after suffering through the wettest January to June in state history last year.

Wettest of those months was May, which pushed planting of Illinois’ top two crops into June and July, when in an ideal year they can be in the ground in April. The result: Corn and soybean production dropped 18 percent and 20 percent, respectively, according to final yield numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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