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Earlier this year SoyCam.com—funded by the Illinois soybean checkoff—started following five Illinois soybean growers.  These growers have been documenting this year’s farming operations and processes with photographs and commentary.  Early spring showed growers preparing the fields, then what’s visible above ground became the focal point of the photos—the soybeans.

This photo from Kate Hagenbuch in LaSalle County, posted at the end of May, shows an ant’s eye view of their soybeans nine days after planting.  Kate also commented early on about the key factors they watch for in soybeans, including plant growth stage and color.

Fast forward two weeks and move a few counties west, and the soybeans on Ron and Deb Moore’s farm in Warren County were already forming nice rows.

By July soybean crops were growing in high gear with the early formation of pods as you can see from this close-up of the plant on Tim Scates’s farm in White County.

July and August also saw the presence of some Japanese  beetles and some minor feeding on leaves as shown above on the Moore farm.

Ross Prough also had some varieties of beans that started showing symptoms of Sudden Death Syndrome mid to late August.  He commented that there had been some indications this would strike with the cool wet weather they experienced following planting.  He also noted that this will affect yield some, but is not as prevalent as some varieties.

Follow along on ISA’s SoyCam.com for more results on what harvest will bring.

Top photo: Maturing soybeans at the Ross Prough farm in Greene County.