Pro Farmer Crop Tour
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+ fields across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota.
The next Pro Farmer Crop Tour takes place August 17-20, 2026.
The grain markets had several drivers this week, including daily reports from the Pro Farmer Crop Tour, more big purchases from China and continued uncertainty of the crop damage in Iowa.
The U.S. corn crop is consistently declining in condition. Currently 57% of the crop has a good or excellent rating, which ties with 2019 for the week’s worst corn condition rating since 2012.
“This is the first boots-on-the-ground assessment and that ought to be revealing,” says Jerry Gulke.
Extreme weather situations, including the annual Derecho, hit regions on the eastern leg earlier this year. While the eastern Corn Belt isn’t as dry as its western counterpart, yield potential looks lower than 2021.
Tuesday’s Crop Tour trek through Nebraska and Indiana gave scouts a glimpse at the moderate to exceptional drought Mother Nature has brought down on soil and crops this growing season.
Pro Farmer estimates the U.S. corn crop at 13.759 billion bushels, with an average yield of 168.1 bu. per acre, and the U.S. soybean crop at 4.535 billion bushels, with an average yield of 51.7 bu. per acre.
USDA’s crop production report showed an increase in soybean yields, but a lower national corn yield. Analysts say Pro Farmer Crop Tour next will reveal more answers about this year’s crops and could be a market mover.
Get your day started with a brief rundown of key 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.