CHAMPAIGN — Harvest season is in full swing in east-central Illinois. Recent dry weather has caused lower-than-average crop yields for some farmers.
Rainfall has been below average in recent months, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford. There was plenty of rain in July, which was great for corn. But soybeans depend on rainfall in August, which was a very dry month.
“[We’ve] had about one or two measurable rainfall events since mid-August,” Ford said. “So, it’s been extremely dry the last 30 days or so. All of that has really added up to: Now we’re in what’s called a severe drought in the U.S.”
In mid-September, Ford noted that 2025 had been the 12th driest on record in Champaign County and had been the driest year to date in Champaign-Urbana since 1988.
“Normally we’re about 30 to 32 [inches of rainfall] this time of the year, and now we’re about 12 inches below average. That’s a foot of rain,” he said.
Kyle Duitsman owns a combine and gets hired by land owners to help out with harvest on farms across central Illinois. During soybean harvest at a 68-acre farm in Champaign County, Duitsman noted that yields were hit hard by the “exceptionally dry” conditions.
“Our yields are off in soybeans, probably 10 to 15 bushels from last year,” he said. “We have some farms that average between 70 and 80 bushels an acre.”
He said some areas were not hurt as badly by drought.
“People got rain; That made a big difference,” Duitsman said. “But for the most part, all of the area farmers have suffered some losses due to the drought.”
Duitsman said supply and demand has caused crop prices to stay low this year, while recent tariffs made fertilizer prices spike to near-record highs.
He said many farmers will have losses, but crop insurance should help make up for drops in revenue.
“We either need to have prices going up or costs going down or both,” Duitsman said.
Drought conditions can increase the risk of blowing dust and fire caused by farm equipment, as the dry crops can ignite quickly when the machines get hot.
Duitsman said they take precautions to avoid the fire in the fields, such as driving more slowly and cleaning machines to remove dust.
“It’s so dry and it’s been windy that it can spread uncontrollably,” he said. “If you’re cleaning every day or so, there’s less of a chance to [cause a] fire.”
Farmers can implement fire protection measures and take other steps to minimize the risk of fires caused by electrical equipment and ignition sources, as outlined in this Farm Fire Prevention Guide from Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health.