Growing degree days since April 1: 841 GDD at Springfield (Average (11 year average 689) (From the Illinois State Water Survey Degree-Day Calculator)
4 inch soil temp: 75.2°F (10 am 4-inch soil temperature under bare soil) (From the Illinois State Water Survey Illinois Climate Network)
Report form the Illinois State Climatologist, Jim Angel. Based on preliminary data, the statewide average temperature for May in Illinois was 63.9 degrees. That is 1.2 degrees above average and the first month to be above average in Illinois since October 2013. The statewide average precipitation for May in Illinois was 4.26 inches, just 0.34 inches below average. For more detailed information, click here.
Colorado Potato Beetle. Adult Colorado potato beetles overwinter in the soil and become active in May; they move to solanaceous plants and begin to feed and lay eggs. In most of Illinois, growers have NOT encountered severe problems with insecticide resistance in local populations of the Colorado potato beetle, but managing insecticide resistance in this insect is a key concern wherever it occurs. For the most part, individual growers control their own destiny on this issue. Using cultural controls (crop rotation, trenching, and mulching, and flaming), using insecticides only when populations reach threshold levels, and rotating among different classes of insecticides are the key steps that can slow the evolution of resistance. For more information, check out the current issue of the Illinois Fruit and Vegetable News. (Dr. Rick Weinzierl, University of Illinois)
Farmers Market Price Reporting. The University of Illinois Extension is partnering with the University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification to provide a weekly report from farmers markets from across the state. Click here to see the reports to date. Plans are to develop a survey and a final report that will be available in January 2015.
Source: University of Illinois at Urbana