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
In an effort to head-off some of the questions about Crop Tour sampling, here’s our answers to a few “Crop Tour FAQs!”
On August 17, Pro Farmer scouts will be walking Illinois corn and soybean fields checking crop conditions and making annual yield projections.
From corn fields flattened to grain bins ripped to shreds, the scene was stark after the derecho ravaged the heartland on August 10, 2020. One year later, crop potential is promising, but rebuilding is still underway.
On Aug. 17, scouts will sample fields in Indiana. What will they find in the Hoosier State?
On Aug. 16, scouts will sample fields in Ohio. What will they find in the Buckeye State?
Crop Conditions News
GDUs offer a more reliable method to predict corn emergence and development than using calendar days, according to yield champions David Hula and Randy Dowdy. They also offer their pro tip on how to assess planting and germination depth.
Drew Lerner, founder of World Weather, Inc., says the summer of 1968 had some strong patterns, including a wetter bias in the western and north-central U.S., but drier in most of the Atlantic Coast states and parts of the eastern and southern Midwest.
Soil conditions, temperatures and weather outlook are finally aligned for planting in much of the Midwest. In the hurry to get the job done, keep in mind that to get a 300-bu. corn yield, you need to start with at least a 300-bu. picket-fence stand.
Farmers can make a poor planting scenario better by teaching their planter how to dance across fields. The practice is particularly helpful in wet soils.
Iowa farmers say a foliar fungicide application can add more bushels per acre by preventing losses to disease pressure and minimizing the impact of environmental factors, such as heat stress and drought.
Pro Farmer Analysis
EPA plans to rescind much of the Biden administration’s first nationwide drinking water standard aimed at protecting people from “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.
U.S. farm income is poised for a sharp decline in 2026 as ad hoc federal support fades and underlying economic pressures reemerge.
House Republicans are advancing a sweeping tax and spending bill that could significantly scale back or reshape some of the clean energy tax credits established under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has emphasized the European Union is a top focus for the Trump administration’s ongoing tariff negotiations.
If Title I reference prices in the farm bill are increased significantly, it would be logical to also consider raising the current payment caps for farm program payments.