ILLINOIS — The rain let up, but it’s too late to save some of Illinois’ crops.

“When you say ‘save,’” says USDA Illinois statistician Mark Schleusener, “there are certainly spots within fields – and perhaps some entire fields – that are lost. It’s not hard to find what people call the potholes in the field, and they’ve been underwater for days and weeks, and those plants are dead. Almost every field in Illinois has a little corner or some spot like that.”

Fifteen percent of corn and 19 percent of soybeans are in poor to very poor condition. Only about half the corn and soybean crops are in good to excellent condition. The progress report shows 32 percent of corn in the dough stage, and 31 percent of soybeans are setting pods.