Moving from Rockford, Illinois south to Bloomington, the crop is well behind the norm. In reality, there is corn and soybeans in places like Roseau, Minnesota or Hunter, North Dakota that are much farther along than in many parts of north-central Illinois. The majority of the corn appears to be in the V1-to-V4 stage of development. “Not only has it been wet here in Illinois, it has been cold,” said Rob Shaffer, who farms at El Paso, Illinois. “We haven’t had sun and we are behind on growing degree days. I sit on our elevator board and am telling our elevator manager he better lock in LP gas because we’re going to need a lot it this fall.” In addition to farming, Shaffer sells crop insurance. Prevented plant is a new experience for many in this area. “I’ve never turned in a PP claim and I’ve been selling crop insurance since 2008.”
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