217 Today: Drought made Midwest and Great Plains crops look ‘like death.’ Recent rains bring some hope

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Ryan Krenk, a farmer outside of Seward, Nebraska, and Jenny Rees, an extension educator with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, examine one of Krenk’s corn fields on July 11, 2023. Before the early July rainfall, all of Krenk’s corn was as short as the smallest plants in this patch.
  • Photo: Sarah Lawlor For Harvest Public Media

July 24, 2023

Today’s headlines:

  • The Station Theatre in Urbana is preparing for the opening of “Ride the Cyclone.”
  • Illinois leaders hope a Joliet electric vehicle plant will help draw more EV-makers to the state.
  • Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth says she will oppose cuts to any of the specialized positions at the 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about the drought conditions in the Midwest and how helpful recent rainstorms have been for crops.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting contributed by Owen Henderson, Alex Degman, Eric Stock and Elizabeth Rembert.

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Stephanie Mosqueda

Stephanie Mosqueda is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in Spanish and public relations. She is the 217 Today producer and a reporter for the Illinois Student Newsroom.