Rock Island Today

State Representative Ryan Spain provided an update on the state's harvest progress in an October 16 Facebook post. He said, "Farmers harvested 62% of soybeans and 49% of corn as of Oct. 14 statewide, which was 15 and 5 points ahead of the average pace, respectively."

"Farmers harvested 62% of soybeans and 49% of corn as of Oct. 14 statewide, which was 15 and 5 points ahead of the average pace, respectively," said Spain, according to Facebook.

According to Spain's Facebook post, he included a link to a Farm Week Now article discussing the harvests. The article indicated that the advanced pace in harvesting is attributed to weather conditions. The state has experienced no measurable rainfall in most areas, and temperatures have been more than five degrees above normal. This allowed farmers an average of 6.9 days suitable for fieldwork between October 7 and 14, as reported by the National Agricultural Statistics Service Illinois field office.

Screenshot of Rep. Ryan Spain's Oct. 16 Facebook post | State Representative Ryan Spain's Facebook page

"The warm, dry weather has really pushed harvest along," said Joel Barickman, a FarmWeek CropWatcher from Livingston County. "Many of us are done with beans and corn is coming out quickly."

An October 15 report from Brownfield focused on the upcoming 2024 harvest, noting that the weekly crop progress and condition report is up five percent compared to the five-year average. It also mentioned that while 33% of winter wheat has been planted, this figure is slightly behind the average of 39% for this time of year. Regarding soil conditions, it was reported that as of October 13, 58% of the topsoil in the state rated short or very short for moisture.

Farm Week Now also reported on October 15 that drought conditions persist despite some moisture reaching the southern third of the state from Hurricane Helene's remnants. The lack of soil moisture is not limited to Illinois; much of the Midwest faces similar challenges with dry conditions affecting Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio.

Spain has represented the people of the 73rd House District since 2017. A lifelong resident of Peoria, he holds degrees in political science and speech communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from Bradley University. His service record includes serving on the Peoria City Council from 2007 until fall 2016.