Pro Farmer Crop Tour, Day 1: Higher Pod Counts in South Dakota, Lower Yield Estimates In Ohio Versus 2023

The 32nd Pro Farmer Crop Tour kicked off on Monday with nearly 100 scouts in South Dakota and Ohio. The results from day 1 were released Monday night, with South Dakota and Ohio’s corn yield estimate coming in lower than what scouts found last year. Ohio’s soybean pod counts were also off from last year’s record, but scouts found higher soybean pod counts in South Dakota versus 2023.

South Dakota’s Results

(Lori Hayes )

In South Dakota, Pro Farmer Crop Tour scouts found fields with fewer ears, but grain length was up compared with 2023.

• South Dakota corn yield estimate: 156.51 bu. per acre, down 0.58% from 2023
• Ear count: 84.42, down 5.11% from last year
• Grain length: Up 6.44% from 2023

(Lori Hayes)

South Dakota’s pod counts were 1,025.89 in a 3’x3' square, which is up 1.27% from 2023.

Ohio’s Results

(Lori Hayes)

Ohio’s corn yield estimate from the 2024 tour came in slightly lower than last year’s record.

• Ohio corn yield estimate: 183.29 bu. per acre, down 0.35% from 2023
• Ear count: 100.37, up .66% compared with last year
• Grain length: Down 2.17% from last year

(Lori Hayes)

Ohio’s soybean pod counts were down 1.84% from 2023 at 1,229.93 pods in a 3’x3' square.

Chip Flory and Brian Grete React to Day 1 of the Tour

Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk, leads the western leg of Pro Farmer Crop Tour each year. He says it was another interesting year for scouting South Dakota’s crops.

“The holes in the field, the drowned out spots, the ponded out areas, that’s putting a big question in my mind about the impact on the South Dakota corn and soybean crops,” Flory says. “We saw that in a lot of places. We saw a corn crop that had two very different planting dates. So we’ve got two very different corn crops growing in South Dakota. In terms of the beans, when you look at last year, it was dry. The beans, though, were still filling out. They had done a lot of the work that they needed to do a year ago. However, this year, that bean crop has got a ton of work to do to realize its potential.”

Flory says ear counts might have been down in South Dakota this year, but the crop made up for it in grain length.

“We had longer ears, longer grain length on this year’s crop, and that’s where we made it up,” Flory says. “We’re looking at a corn crop that’s basically the same as it was a year ago. Soybeans were up only 1.27% on the pods in a 3’x3' square, but I think we’re looking at a really different bean crop this year. Last year, it was what it was and wasn’t going to get any bigger. The bean crop in South Dakota could go either way this year. It’s got a lot of work to do, and if it doesn’t get it done, then it’s probably not going to be last year’s bean crop.”

Editor of Pro Farmer Brian Grete leads the eastern leg of the tour. He says he didn’t see the same consistency across Ohio that scouts found last year.

“I don’t think this year’s Ohio crop is what it was last year, to be honest with you,” Grete says. “Chip talked about the difference in ear counts out there. We actually had higher ear counts, so there’s more ears out there, but the grain length is less, which offsets each other and you end up down four-tenths of a percent from what we found on Crop Tour last year.”

Grete points out scouts did find some disease in the Ohio crop this year.

“We’ll see how much of the yield potential we measured actually gets into the bin,” Grete says.

An In-Depth Look At What Scouts Found In Ohio

As Pro Farmer Crop Tour scouts set out on day 1 on the eastern leg, they saw impressive corn and soybean crops in Ohio, despite the area seeing drought this year. With rains over the weekend, the soybean yields have the potential to be strong.

“We started planting our beans on April 16 and finished on the 25th,” says Michael Vallery who farms in south-central Ohio. “We started planting corn on April 26 and finished on the 30th. We’d never been done planting that early before.”

Vallery says the early start was promising, and he hopes it helps push his soybean yields higher. But the biggest concern for Ohio farmers this year has been drought.

“Our yields this year are going to be less than last year. We’ve basically had the top cut off of our crop by the fact that we’ve received about 5" less moisture than normal,” Vallery says.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, 59% of Ohio is currently seeing some level of dryness. One year ago, that number was only 11%.

“So far, the drought has affected corn more than our soybeans,” he says. “We can still benefit from a late-season rain on some of the later-planted beans.”

Vallery says Ohio farmers know they’re probably not going to see the record yields they harvested last year. Still, as Grete got into corn fields on Monday and started peeling back the ears, he uncovered an extremely resilient crop.

“In terms of what’s normal out here in Ohio over the years and what we’ve seen on crop tours in the past, this is an above-average year,” Grete says.

Grete has led the eastern leg of the tour for nearly 20 years. He knew after last year’s phenomenal crop in Ohio, it would be hard to beat this season. Yet, even with drought, he thinks this year’s corn yields could be in the top three for the state.

“When comparing it to last year that was the record yield in the state and the gold standard. It was just a phenomenal corn crop last year in Ohio. It’s probably not going to quite live up to those standards this year, but it’s a very good corn crop based on what we’ve seen so far,” Grete explains.

When it comes to Ohio’s soybean crop, Grete was even more impressed.

“The soybeans have been pretty consistent and, actually, they’ve been probably more consistent than corn,” he says. “The fields we stopped in are highly podded. They have soil moisture since they got rain in some of these fields overnight and yesterday. Plenty of topsoil moisture is present, so they should have the ability to finish strong.”

A heavily podded soybean crop with recent rains to help pump moisture into the pods means the pod factory is still working. That could produce some bountiful soybean yields in Ohio this year.

“A heavily podded crop that has moisture in the third week of August is probably going to yield pretty well. I think that’s what we’re looking at so far on our route,” Grete says.

Scouts Found a Consistent Corn Crop in South Dakota

Despite heavy rains and flooding early in the season in southeast South Dakota, crop scouts are finding consistent corn yields, making USDA record yield projections achievable. But soybeans might fall short of the mark, due to the high variability of pod counts.

The historic flooding that occurred right after Father’s Day in the southeast part of the state definitely left its mark.

“You can see the washed-out areas, flooded-out areas, and it seems like every field has a problem of some sort,” says Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk and western leg tour leader.

Centerville, S.D., farmer Craig Andersen received 18" of rain in 48 hours, destroying many of his fields. He wasn’t alone with that experience.

“Using the satellite information, we figured it was over 40,000 acres in this area, right alongside the Vermillion River,” he says.

Acres that weren’t zeroed out will likely see lower yields from increased weed pressure, variable maturity and reduced pod counts.

“A year ago, our pod counts in South Dakota were 1,013,” Flory says. “We started off in the 1,300 range but we’ve also been as low as 400.”

Considering he’s finding such an inconsistent soybean crop, Flory says it might be a stretch for the state to reach USDA’s 47 bu. per acre yield estimate.

“I’m not seeing anything that makes me think it’s a 47-bu. bean crop in South Dakota,” he says.

Western leg scout Tim Gregerson found more uniformity in the corn despite a sample that just pollinated last week.

“I’'ve seen a lot of consistent corn,” he says.

He encountered a few surprises with Southern rust and no signs of nitrogen loss from heavy rains that fell early in the season.

“So far the color of the corn is pretty good, though the holes are evident. They’re a little bit bigger than normal in this area of South Dakota than in a normal year, the drowned-out spots. But it’s amazing how tight we’ve seen the yields range, between 170 and 174 bu.,” Gregerson says.

But is it the record 162 bu. per acre yield USDA predicted for the state? That’s yet to be seen.

“The ear count has been consistent enough that it’s definitely possible,” Gregerson says.

Plus, he says the northern half of South Dakota might make up for the deficits in the southeast region.

For more than 30 years, Pro Farmer Crop Tour scouts have been providing the agriculture industry with insights into potential corn and soybean production, gathering scout reports from 2,000-plus fields across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota.

This year’s event takes place August 19-22. Register now to attend in-person or watch results live each night at 8 p.m. Central Standard Time.

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