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As wheat-planting season approaches in Illinois, check the calendar and your area for the Hessian fly-free date.

Holly Spangler, Senior Editor, Prairie Farmer

October 6, 2015

1 Min Read

As harvest is rolling across Illinois, some farmers may be turning their attention to wheat planting, particularly across southern Illinois.

Related: Tips For Most Effectively Planting Winter Wheat

One thing to check out? The Hessian fly-free date. Says Illinois county extension director John Fulton, the term comes from the date after which damage from the Hessian fly is negligible.

"It is also the planting date range which typically gives the best yields of wheat for a variety of reasons, including less damage from Septoria leaf spot and barley yellow dwarf virus," he explains.

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Waiting until the Hessian fly-free date is also a benefit for farmers who plant wheat and rye and other plants as cover crops to promote soil health, says Andy Michel, Ohio State University Extension pest expert. The goal is to avoid planting before adult Hessian flies die, to prevent them from laying eggs in wheat fields.

Below is the table of fly-free dates for Illinois counties.

Check the fly-free date for planting wheat in Illinois

About the Author(s)

Holly Spangler

Senior Editor, Prairie Farmer, Farm Progress

Holly Spangler has covered Illinois agriculture for more than two decades, bringing meaningful production agriculture experience to the magazine’s coverage. She currently serves as editor of Prairie Farmer magazine and Executive Editor for Farm Progress, managing editorial staff at six magazines throughout the eastern Corn Belt. She began her career with Prairie Farmer just before graduating from the University of Illinois in agricultural communications.

An award-winning writer and photographer, Holly is past president of the American Agricultural Editors Association. In 2015, she became only the 10th U.S. agricultural journalist to earn the Writer of Merit designation and is a five-time winner of the top writing award for editorial opinion in U.S. agriculture. She was named an AAEA Master Writer in 2005. In 2011, Holly was one of 10 recipients worldwide to receive the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Ag Journalism award. She currently serves on the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation, the U of I Agricultural Communications Advisory committee, and is an advisory board member for the U of I College of ACES Research Station at Monmouth. Her work in agricultural media has been recognized by the Illinois Soybean Association, Illinois Corn, Illinois Council on Agricultural Education and MidAmerica Croplife Association.

Holly and her husband, John, farm in western Illinois where they raise corn, soybeans and beef cattle on 2,500 acres. Their operation includes 125 head of commercial cows in a cow/calf operation. The family farm includes John’s parents and their three children.

Holly frequently speaks to a variety of groups and organizations, sharing the heart, soul and science of agriculture. She and her husband are active in state and local farm organizations. They serve with their local 4-H and FFA programs, their school district, and are active in their church's youth and music ministries.

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