USDA says Illinois corn harvest lagging

SPRINGFIELD -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that, despite significant progress last week, Illinois farmers were only a little more than halfway through their corn harvest before the latest heavy rains.

But the USDA said Tuesday that about 90 percent of the soybean crop had been harvested.

About 52 percent of the corn crop had been harvested as of Monday compared to 31 percent a week earlier, but that is still well behind the 87 percent at this time last year and a five-year average of 95 percent.

The five-year average for the soybean harvest by this date is 99 percent.

The weather forecast was for rain to continue into Wednesday and for another chance of showers on Friday.