Pro Farmer Crop Tour 2026
The Pro Farmer Crop Tour provides insights into potential corn and soybean production and gathers scout reporting from 2,000+ fields across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota.
Watch Nightly Results
August 17-20, 2026: Tune in here to watch nightly results and analysis starting at 7:55 PM Central.
The Pro Farmer Crop Tour Route
The Pro Farmer Crop Tour 2026 takes place August 17-20, 2026. It simultaneously follows an Eastern and a Western route, with both scouting routes culminating in Rochester, Minnesota. Nightly meetings in each location review daily results, scouting observations and historical comparison data. Attend nightly meetings in person or watch the nightly broadcast online at AgWeb.com/croptour.
Pro Farmer Crop Tour News
Over the past 30 years of Pro Farmer Crop Tour, John Phipps has noted the reliably repetitive criticism of almost every aspect by farmers, media, and others. He addresses those critics in John’s World.
How do you pass the 28-hours of drive time on Pro Farmer Crop Tour? Just ask our scouts! Check out a few of our favorite #PFTour22 tweets, and cast your own vote.
What prompted Pro Farmer to drop its national corn yield estimate below 170 bu. per acre? The story seemed to be just how much damage the heat and drought did to the crop this year, even since August 1st.
In a relatively short time, corn and soybean prices have both gained $1 per bushel. This creates a decision-making opportunity.
Tune in at 1:30 p.m. central/2:30 p.m. eastern for the live broadcast of Pro Farmer’s national corn and soybean crop estimates.
Crop Conditions News
On the heels of Crop Tour, Pro Farmer projects corn yields at 6.1 bu. below USDA’s August estimate, while soybean yield numbers are nearly aligned.
The Minnesota corn crop is going for gold. Pro Farmer Crop Tour scouts expect the crop will reach a record 202.86 bu. average, if it can outpace southern rust and tar spot. Scouts peg the Iowa corn crop at a 198.43 bu. average, but it also faces disease challenges.
Iowa could be the nation’s top state this year for corn and soybeans, but both crops are in a race to beat disease pressure that’s gaining momentum. Illinois corn continues to ride the struggle bus, while the soybean crop there is positioned to deliver high yields.
There is still up to 55% of the kernel dry weight left to be accumulated by many corn hybrids at this point — starch that can contribute significantly to grain fill and higher test weights.
While some scouts saw a big corn crop in the making in South Dakota, yield and pod counts came in below Pro Farmer Crop Tour numbers from 2020. Results from the eastern route peg corn at 185.69 bu. per acre, beating the tour record of 185 bu. set in 2021.
Pro Farmer Analysis
U.S. corn growers and ethanol producers once enjoyed a level playing field with Brazil.
Global bonds yields are on the rise (lower prices).
However, the stagnation comes as the disparity between fertilizer prices and potential profits widens.
Brazil’s environmental authorities seized around 7,000 illegal head of cattle in the Amazon and issued fines to several ranchers and slaughterhouses.
Inflation adjusted cost of production for corn has been consistently high since 2012