About Pro Farmer Crop Tour

2024 Crop Tour Schedule  |  Frequently Asked Questions.   

The Pro Farmer Crop Tour’s primary goal is to provide the industry with accurate growing season information about likely corn and soybean yields at the state and regional levels during the upcoming harvest season.

Crop Tour's data-gathering methods are disciplined and produce consistent results. Results from the Tour have a big impact on Pro Farmer Newsletter’s annual crop production estimate released at week’s end. But observations gathered during the Tour can be just as important as the data itself.

“We pull enough samples to provide us with accurate data for a large geographic area. The Pro Farmer Crop Tour does not attempt to predict actual yields for individual fields or even a county, but we do want to have a good handle on likely yields for each of the seven states we survey,” says Pro Farmer Editor Brian Grete.

From The Rows | Aug. 17, 2021 — Brian Grete (East)
From The Rows | Aug. 17, 2021 — Brian Grete (East)

My observations and comments from Day 2 of Crop Tour.

“I’m actually just growing carbon. I farmed 30 years and never realized the true power of photosynthesis,” says Jim Nichols.
From the Rows | Aug. 17, 2021 — Chip Flory (West)

Nebraska soybean pod counts down 5.5% from year-ago, rain needed soon; state's estimated corn yield up over 4%.

2021 Crop Tour results: Nebraska
2021 Crop Tour results: Nebraska

Scouts measured average corn yield potential of 182.6 bu. per acre for Nebraska. Pod counts in a 3’x3’ square averaged 1,226.

2021 Crop Tour results: Indiana
2021 Crop Tour results: Indiana

Scouts measured average corn yield potential of 193.5 bu. per acre for Indiana. Pod counts in a 3’x3’ square averaged 1,240.

Soybeans Steal the Show in Indiana During Day 2 of Pro Farmer Crop Tour
Soybeans Steal the Show in Indiana During Day 2 of Pro Farmer Crop Tour

Fields sprouted the possibiity of big bushels on Tuesday. In Nebraska, scouts saw dryness, but also big potential for soybeans this year. And Indiana's crops also showed potential records in areas of the state.