The good news is that the condition of the corn and soybean crops is improving, albeit modestly. The bad news is that farmers are still facing an uphill climb to make up for the extreme delays in planting this spring. On the positive side, 47% of the Illinois corn crop is reported by the USDA to be in excellent or good condition, up from 45% a week ago. The bad news is that the percentage of the crop said to be in poor or very poor condition has also risen, from 18% last week to 20% this week. On the soybean front, very little changes have been reported in the past week. (WIFR)