Pro Farmer Crop Tour
Boots in the field, before the market moves.
Every August, more than 100 Pro Farmer scouts sample 2,000+ corn and soybean fields across seven states — an independent, disciplined read on the size of the U.S. crop, weeks before harvest.
Brad Kooima of Kooima Kooima Varilek says the placements were 11% below last year and a bullish surprise for him and the trade. However, the President’s beef plan it stifling the recovery.
Pro Farmer Crop Tour scouts discovered a corn crop that didn’t live up to expectations, with Pro Farmer pegging the national yield at 173.2 bu. per acre, well below USDA’s 180.7 current estimate.
Lane Akre, economist with Pro Farmer, says the corn made new highs on Friday but may have to go higher with their big yield cut of 7.5 bu. from USDA’s August estimate.
Pro Farmer National Forecast: Corn Falls Short of Last Year’s Record, But Soybeans Eye New Milestone
Scouts say early-season weather stress reduced corn ear counts and grain length and cut stands across the Corn Belt, but above-average soybean pod numbers mean farmers could harvest a record bean crop this fall.
Day 4 of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour found a crop with plenty of potential — and plenty of hidden gaps. Fewer ears, shorter grain length and early-season stress are showing up in fields in parts of both states, complicating the yield picture.
33rd year
of Tour scouting since 1993
7 states
IL, IN, IA, MN, NE, OH & SD
2,000+
corn & soybean fields sampled
Where Crop Tour Scouts
The seven Crop Tour states account for roughly 70% of the nation's corn and soybean production. Two legs cover the region on consistent routes so the data lines up year over year.
Eastern leg
Begins in western Ohio, then works across Indiana, Illinois, eastern Iowa and into southern Minnesota, concluding in Rochester on Thursday night.
Western leg
Begins in southern South Dakota, then crosses eastern Nebraska, western Iowa and into southern Minnesota, concluding in Rochester on Thursday night.
Tour states
Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · Ohio · South Dakota