After months of drought conditions, local farmers are breathing a sigh of relief at the rain that has fallen so far.

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Drought conditions are continuing across much of central Illinois, even after several inches of rain fell in many counties. Next week's drought monitor could see conditions improved even further, as there is some rain from Tuesday that wasn't included in this week's monitor. 

After months of drought conditions, local farmers are breathing a sigh of relief at the rain that has fallen so far. 

"We're making up a lot of loss of moisture very quickly," said David Brown, a Macon County farmer. "I think we're in a period now where maybe we're breaking from drought, and we're going to get more normal rainfall through this area."

Brown said he's happy to see standing water in the fields and filling up the ditches along country roads. There are signs that the soil is finally rebuilding its moisture. 

"That's a good thing at this time of the year," Brown said. "We're building some water reserves in the soil. Look at the ditches as you're driving by, or the streams, or the Sangamon River. If it's high, that's a good thing. We're getting plenty of rain right now."

Giovani Preza Fontes is an assistant professor of agronomy at the University of Illinois. While it's hard to determine what exact conditions are perfect for planting, the extra rain will help restore the soil to its best state. 

"So ideal conditions [are] that you have warm and moist soils for the seed to imbibe water, and then start the germination process," Fontes said. "If it's very dry, like it was, say until late February, extremely drought conditions that will actually hurt germination and establishment."

Preza Fontes said there can be too much moisture, but he doesn't expect that to happen before seeds are planted. He added that one or two extra storms wouldn't hurt, but farmers can adjust their planting timelines based on weather in the next few weeks. 

Copyright 2026. WAND TV. All rights reserved.