The culprit? Wet conditions that are delaying harvests, including stopping agricultural equipment from moving in central Illinois. According to a recent report from the state's Peoria JournalStar, some farmers in that area of the state may not end up harvesting their fields until the end of the year.
"We definitely won't be done until the middle of December - at the earliest," Jim Rumbold, a farmer from Chillicothe, Illinois, told the paper. "The one thing I'm worried about then is snow. Snow and a combine don't mix."
Along with the wet weather keeping farm equipment under wraps, the paper noted that the high amount of moisture could end up hurting crops. Peoria County Farm Bureau Manager Patrick Kirchhofer told the paper that mold and diseases become a factor when the weather is wet and cool.
According to a recent report from the Federal Reserve, a number of areas in the country are experiencing delays in harvesting. The Fed's Chicago and St. Louis districts have reported that rainy weather has delayed harvesting activities and crop maturity.
