DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Although there's been a lot of rain these past few weeks, farmers say this is exactly what they needed.

"We desperately need some rain across the area because we were so dry in April. But it's been good for farmers because usually they deal with a lot of rain in April and May, and that gets them behind. But this year they're well ahead of the game," said WAND Meteorologist, Anthony Peoples.

Farmers like David Brown have been farming for years. Since April was such a dry month, the rain that recently came through was much needed.

"There was field work going on in March, which sometimes is unexpected but we're able to have those planters ready to go. If we get it planted by the middle of May we think that is good so this crop is way ahead of schedule in my opinion and probably looks about as good as I think I've ever seen it at this time," said Brown.

However, too much rain can harm the crops.

"We're keeping an eye on how much time a crop is under water out in the field," said Spencer Smith from Hertz Farm Management. "If corn sits under water for more than 24 hours, there can be a lot of damage to the crop, it can potentially die."

Copyright 2023. WAND TV. All rights reserved.