Father’s Day rains were a welcome relief for eastern Buffalo County, Wisconsin. My rain gauge showed an inch of needed moisture left. The corn responded and is now a nice green color, showing it is absorbing the nutrients it needs. Farmers top up with 28 percent nitrogen to further enhance corn growth.

One of my neighbors finished his second crop of hay. Due to the dry weather, his yield was clearly worse than his first crop. Farmers in other areas will begin their second harvest next week. The tenants began covering the waterway and fenced off in preparation for grazing the new pasture. The production of soybeans is also good, and the first flowering has also been reported.

Farmers have reported sightings of armyworms in their pastures. The bugs ate the blades of grass, leaving the stems and heads. However, they also contribute to the consumption of some of the burdock, which is becoming more and more of a problem. Fall armyworm infestations have been reported to travel from northeastern Iowa to Wisconsin. Neighbors said they had already sprayed the corn with pest control.

The meadows are improving due to increased humidity from the Father’s Day rains. In this area they had a stern look on their face. The best looking meadows are those that are pastured in rotation. More rain is expected on June 24-25, which will help all.

One of our valley farmers purchased two unmanned aerial vehicles to spray and monitor their crops. He plans to do some custom work with aviation equipment and it will be interesting to see how it works out for him. He said he thinks he can better access small fields with steep slopes than with a tractor or spray rig.

For the past two weeks, I have traveled northwestern Illinois via Grant and Crawford counties in Wisconsin. There was a lot of hay falling in those counties, but I think this was probably the second crop. However, corn and soybeans looked good except in hills and depressions where the soil was light. Those crops were non-existent or poor.

In Illinois, I drove Interstate 80 along the Hennepin Canal. Crops south of it were more stressed than crops north of the line. I heard reports that some soybeans did not germinate due to lack of moisture. As a result, it became necessary to repot the corn. Quite a few fields were planted with very short corn, but some were freshly planted.

That part of the state usually plants two weeks earlier than we do. It looks like the corn and beans are shorter than ours or similar this year. The area is home to Weifels hybrids, so many acres are devoted to seed production.

Some rye fields were turning color and nearing harvest. It seemed like the only crop in Illinois that looked consistently good.

I hope the hydration level is back to normal by the next report.

This is an original article written for Agri-View, an agricultural publication by Lee Enterprises based in Madison, Wisconsin.visit Agriview.com for more information.

LeeAnne Bullman writes about farming from a farm overlooking the beautiful Dunuser Valley on the west coast of Wisconsin. To contact her, send her email to genwim2@gmail.com.