>>> YOU CAN READ THE FULL STORY ON OUR WEBSITE.

>>> SOME PARTS OF THE REGION SAW AS MUCH AS 7 INCHES OF RAINFALL THIS WEEKEND.

BUT THE DELUGE DIDN'T DO MUCH TO BREAK A LOT OF THE STATE OF THE WORST DROUGHT IN MORE THAN 10 YEARS.

IT'S EXPECTED GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE 10 DRIEST MONTHS IN THE STATES HISTORY.

FARMERS ARE SEEING AN IMPACT ON OUR CROPS AND CONSUMERS ARE LIKELY TO SEE AN IMPACT SOON AS WELL.

JOINING US ARE MARK, A LONG-TERM FARMER, DISTRICT DIRECTOR FOR THE ILLINOIS FARM BUREAU.

AND JOINING US REMOTELY IS TRENT, STATE CLIMATOLOGIST AT THE ILLINOIS STATE WATER SURVEY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.

WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU TO CHICAGO TONIGHT.

MARK, THIS RAINSTORM DID NOT WASH OUT ALL THE PROBLEMS THE FARMERS ARE FACING RIGHT NOW.

>> THE AMOUNT OF RAIN I'VE GOT IS ABOUT THE DEFICIT.

YOU GOT SEVEN OR 8 INCHES WE HAVE HAD LOW RAIN ALL SPRING.

WE ARE SEVEN OR 8 INCHES BEHIND.

>> DID THE STORMS TO HIT ANY OF THE OTHER -- I ASSUME NORTHEAST ILLINOIS, NORTHWEST ILLINOIS -- >> THERE WAS SOME RAINFALL I CUT SOME RAIN BUT THERE WERE SOME OF THE FARMERS WHO MISSED OUT ON ALL OF IT.

ROCKFORD.

BUT THERE IS SOME RAIN TODAY.

BUT WE ARE SO FAR BEHIND, OUR SUBTOTALS ARE BEHIND.

>> WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON CROPS?

>> THE CORN HAS BEEN DAMAGE.

WE WON'T KNOW FOR A WHILE HOW MUCH.

POLLINATION IS GOING TO BE DELAYED.

WE ARE HOPING FOR MORE RAIN OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

THE CORN DECIDES HOW MUCH IS GOING TO PUT IN HERE ON, BACK IN JUNE.

IT WAS VERY STRESSFUL AT THAT TIME ON THE CORN CROP.

WE WON'T KNOW WHAT THE POLLINATION IS OR HOW BIG OF A YEAR OR ANYTHING.

>> MUCH OF THE STATE WAS IN SEVERE DROUGHT STATUS BEFORE THIS WEEKEND.

HAS THAT STATUS IMPROVED IN ANY PART OF THE STATE?

>> YEAH, THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR WILL BE RELEASED AGAIN TOMORROW.

WE WILL SEE EXACTLY WHAT WILL BE IMPROVED.

GIVEN THAT SOME OF THE PARTS OF THE CITY SAW LIKE YOU SAID, 7 OR 8 INCHES OF RAIN, SOME WIDER SPREAD 2-3 INCHES IN CENTRAL AND WESTERN ILLINOIS, IT'S LIKELY WE WILL SEE AN IMPROVEMENT OF ONE CATEGORY IN SOME PLACES.

BUT WE ARE STILL NO DOUBT ACROSS THE STATE IN MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT BECAUSE AS MARK MENTIONED, GOING BACK TO THE APRIL 1 WE WERE BETWEEN 8 AND 12 INCHES DEFICITS.

>> YOU MENTIONED THE IMPACT ON CROPS, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO CONSUMERS LOOKING FOR THEIR CORN IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS?

>> I THINK THE FIRST THING YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ARE THE FARMERS MARKETS, SWEETCORN SHOULD BE GETTING THE STANDS AND I THINK IT WOULD BE DELAYED.

I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HUNT TO FIND SWEETCORN.

I DROVE BY A COUPLE FIELDS ON THE WAY HERE THAT MY NEIGHBORS HAVE AND IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT'S GOING TO PRODUCE MUCH.

>> WHAT IS THE BROADER ECONOMIC IMPACT?

>> WE ARE A BIG CORN STATE.

WE ARE A BIG BEEN STATE.

WE DO A LOT OF EXPORTS OUT OF ILLINOIS.

THIS IS GOING TO AFFECT THE FARMERS PRETTY HARD.

IT'S OUR FEED SOURCE.

IT MAKES CORN SWEETENER, IT IS OUR ETHANOL SOURCE.

LOSS OF PRODUCTION, A LOT OF LOSS OF PRODUCT.

>> HOW HISTORIC , IN ANOTHER SENSE, WAS THE SHEER AMOUNT OF RAINFALL WE SAW AT LEAST IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY?

>> YEAH, HONESTLY WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR WHEN PARTS OF THE NORTH SIDE SAW 6-7 INCHES OF RAIN.

AND EVEN BACK TO MAY 2021 SOME PARTS SAW SEVEN I 8 INCHES IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD.

THE LATEST NUMBERS HERE IN CHAMPAIGN SUGGEST SOME PARTS AROUND 8 INCHES OF RAIN IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD.

THAT IS A 1% CHANCE.

BASICALLY 1% CHANCE OF IT HAPPENING , ALSO CALLED THE ONE IN 100 TYPE OF RAIN EVENT.

IT IS DEFINITELY AN UNUSUAL EVENT.

ALTHOUGH WE SHOULD SAY THOSE TYPE OF EXTREME EVENTS, EXTREME PRECIPITATION EVENTS THAT WE HAVE SEEN ARE INCREASING IN THEIR FREQUENCY.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, I CITED AT LEAST ONE EVENT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK CHICAGO AND MUCH OF THEIR STATE OF ILLINOIS HAS SEEN AN INCREASE IN FREQUENCY AND.

>> WE HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE IN FREQUENCY IN THE RAIN EVENTS BUT IS IT GOING TO BE FEAST OR FAMINE GOING FORWARD?

EITHER SEVERE DROUGHT AS WE HAVE SEEN AND THEN HUGE DOWNPOUR?

AS OPPOSED TO WHAT WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY SEEN IN THE PAST?

>> HONESTLY, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.

HOPEFULLY THIS YEAR WE ARE GETTING THE REST OF THE SEASON WE WILL BE GETTING OUR RAIN TOTALS IN MORE REASONABLE AMOUNTS.

1.5 INCH TOTALS.

TO BE HONEST THIS IS SOMETHING THE MODELS ARE UNCERTAIN ABOUT.

PROJECTING THE FUTURE OF PRECIPITATION VARIABILITY.

WHEN WE GO 90 DAYS WITH VERY LITTLE RAINFALL, AND UP A DEFICIT AND THEN MAKE IT UP IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD, AND THEN WE THINK ABOUT HYDROLOGY BEYOND AGRICULTURE, IT'S NOT REALLY WHAT WE WANT.

WE WANT A MORE CONSISTENT RAINFALL.

LIKE I SAID, PROJECTIONS OF THAT COMING MORE FREQUENT, IS THAT SOMETHING WE SHOULD EXPECT MORE NORMAL?

THAT IS UNCERTAIN AT THE MOMENT.

A LOT MORE RESEARCH HAS TO BE DONE IN NOT JUST HOW MUCH RAINFALL WE ARE GOING TO GET OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR MONTH, BUT HOW THAT RAINFALL WILL FALL IN THE FUTURE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT RESEARCH QUESTION.

>> MARK, YOU ARE TELLING ME EARLIER YOU BELIEVE THE STATE IS GOING TO NEED ABOUT ONE INCH OF RAIN PER WEEK TO MAKE UP FOR THE DEFICIT.

DOES THAT MEAN THE CROPS THAT ARE SHORTER THAN THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE CAN RECOVER AND GROW TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE?

OR IS IT TOO LATE?

>> FOR THE SOYBEANS WE HAVE A LOT OF TIME YET.

BEANS IN AUGUST.

WE GET RAINS.

CORN, WE GET THROUGH A LONG PERIOD OF DRYNESS.

WE ARE NOT SURE YET, BUT I WOULD SAY 25% AT LEAST AND WE'RE GOING TO NEED AN INCH OF WATER PER WEEK GOING THROUGH POLLINATION OTHERWISE WE WON'T HAVE A GOOD CROP.

>> TRENCH WAS TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOM AND BUST, FEAST OR FAMINE, HOW UNCERTAIN IS IT TO BE A FARMER RIGHT NOW WHEN YOU SEE EITHER BIBLICAL STYLE FLOODING OR TOTAL DROUGHT?

>> WE ARE OPTIMISTIC EVERY SPRING.

WE GO OUT THERE ENDORSING.

WE KNOW HOW TO PLANT OUR CROPS.

WE CAME OUT OF THREE OF THE WETTEST SPRINGS IN 2018, 2019 AND 2020.

WE BET ON HAVING A GOOD, NORMAL GROWING SEASON ENTERING THE YEAR YOU DEAL WITH OTHER THINGS LIKE DROUGHT OR FLOOD OR HAIL OR SOMETHING ELSE THAT COMES ALONG.