Pro Farmer Crop Tour
Boots in the field, before the market moves.
Every August, more than 100 Pro Farmer scouts sample 2,000+ corn and soybean fields across seven states — an independent, disciplined read on the size of the U.S. crop, weeks before harvest.
Nightly Meeting Schedule
All times CST. The Noblesville, IN meeting takes place one hour later than the times listed.
What is Pro Farmer Crop Tour?
The Pro Farmer Crop Tour's primary goal is to provide producers with accurate growing-season information about likely corn and soybean yields at the state and regional level ahead of harvest season. Results play a major role in Pro Farmer's annual crop production estimate — but the observations gathered during the Tour can be just as important as the data itself.
The Tour stays consistent by traveling the third week of August every year, running the same routes and using the same sampling procedure in every field. That discipline is what makes year-to-year comparisons meaningful — and it's why producers, lenders and reporters across agriculture watch the numbers roll in each night.
“Our process allows the Tour to cut through the noise with boots-on-the-ground sampling across seven key states, delivering intelligence on corn and soybean yield potential that matters to markets. We focus on the big picture to provide reliable statewide estimates that inform critical pre-harvest decisions.”
— Bill Watts, Pro Farmer Editor
How Crop Tour Works
Planned randomness
Scouts don't pre-pick fields. Teams walk 35 paces off the road before sampling, so there's no way to game which part of the crop gets measured.
100+ trained scouts
Farmers, agribusiness and ag media travel 20 pre-set Midwest routes in teams of two to four, each with at least one experienced scout.
Two legs, four days
An Eastern leg and a Western leg run Monday–Thursday, sampling roughly every 15–20 miles and converging in Rochester, MN.
Same method, every year
Identical sampling since the 1990s means the real signal is the comparison — this year's samples against past Tours and USDA.
- 1. Record crop district and county.
- 2. Go 35 paces into the field to start sampling.
- 3. Measure row spacing and record.
- 4. Measure a 30' plot, then count all ears in two rows. Record the total.
- 5. Pull the 5th, 8th and 11th ear off one row of the plot.
- 6. Measure grain length on each ear; average and record.
- 7. Count the kernel rows on each ear; average and record.
- 1. Record crop district and county.
- 2. Walk as far into the field as possible without damage.
- 3. Measure a 3' plot and count the total plants in the row.
- 4. Randomly select three plants.
- 5. Measure row spacing and record.
- 6. Count all pods on the three plants — any pod ¼" or larger — and average.
- 7. Multiply the average pod count by the plants in the 3' section; rate soil moisture and maturity.
Samples are identified by county and tabulated by crop district — never tied to a specific field or farm. Care is taken to move in and out of every field quickly, without damage. See the FAQ for how flooded or prevent-plant fields are handled.
Where We Scout
The seven Crop Tour states account for roughly 70% of the nation's corn and soybean production. Two legs cover the region on consistent routes so the data lines up year over year.
Begins in western Ohio, then works across Indiana, Illinois, eastern Iowa and into southern Minnesota, concluding in Rochester on Thursday night.
Begins in southern South Dakota, then crosses eastern Nebraska, western Iowa and into southern Minnesota, concluding in Rochester on Thursday night.
Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · Ohio · South Dakota
Crop Tour FAQs
Who are the scouts, and how are they selected?
All scouts are volunteers. Most are farmers, though the ranks also include crop adjusters, ag media, grain elevator staff, grain buyers and department-of-agriculture staff. Many are Pro Farmer members, but membership isn't required — the Tour is open to anyone who wants to participate.
Do you always pick the best- or worst-looking fields?
No. Scouts follow a “planned randomness” sampling procedure. Fields aren't pre-selected, and scouts walk 35 paces down the main rows before sampling — so there's no way to tell what the crop will look like when they arrive at the sample spot.
How many scouts enter a field?
Typically one or two, sometimes three scouts enter a field to sample.
How do you measure flooded or damaged fields?
If a field is planted and harvestable when scouts make a stop, it's measured. If the sampling procedure lands scouts in a drowned-out area with no harvestable ears, that field is measured as a “0.” Prevent-plant and other full losses are removed from the production equation rather than double-counted.
Why don't you scout areas like western South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri or Kansas?
We're all for expanding the Tour beyond the current seven-state area — but the manpower and logistics require additional leaders and scouts in those regions. If you'd like to help organize or lead a Tour route in a new area, contact us at editors@profarmer.com.
How should I use Crop Tour data and results?
Don't just compare Tour results to USDA's August Crop Production report. Compare them to the previous year's Tour results to gauge how much bigger or smaller average yields are — that year-over-year comparison has proven to yield the most reliable analysis of fresh data.
Why are Pro Farmer's Friday estimates different from the Tour numbers?
Pro Farmer's National Crop Production Estimates, released the Friday after Crop Tour, factor in crop maturity, acreage adjustments, areas outside the Tour, historical Tour-vs-USDA differences and more. The estimate is a Pro Farmer estimate — not a Tour estimate — and is given as a range of production potential.
How do Crop Tour results compare to USDA's final yields?
Over 30-plus years of touring, we've calculated the “historical error” of Tour data. We know Tour results will differ from USDA's final yield for each state — and we know which states the Tour measures “high” or “low,” and by about how much.
Media & Press
Members of the media are invited to attend Pro Farmer Crop Tour nightly meetings along the route. Meetings are attended by local farmers and include scouting reports and yield estimates for that day.
aspeake@farmjournal.com
Tue Aug 18 — Indiana
Wed Aug 19 — Illinois
Thu Aug 20 — Iowa
Tue Aug 18 — Nebraska
Wed Aug 19 — Western Iowa
Thu Aug 20 — Minnesota
Released Friday, Aug 21 at 1:30 p.m. CT (embargoed until release). This is a Pro Farmer estimate — not a Tour estimate — and also weighs crop maturity, soil moisture, disease and prospects outside the Tour area, so it's given as a range.