Pro Farmer estimates the U.S. corn crop at 14.960 billion bu. with an average yield of 172.0 bu. per acre. We estimate the U.S. soybean crop at 4.110 billion bu. with an average yield of 49.7 bu. per acre.
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.
As scouts entered fields in Indiana on Tuesday, the high expectations for the Eastern Corn Belt were reaffirmed. In the West, irrigated fields showed solid soybean counts, but signs of dryness were a noted concern.
As scouts set out on the 2021 Pro Farmer Crop Tour Monday they got a soggy start, a good sign for soybeans in August. While Ohio did not disappoint, South Dakota showed scars from the drought with a mature crop.
It's the tale of two extremes on the first day of Pro Farmer Crop Tour. Heading into the tour, USDA painted an optimistic picture for Ohio, while South Dakota's outlook was grim. See what scouts saw during day 1.
“We are fast running out of gas,” says Jerry Gulke. “If we miss these rains, North Dakota and South Dakota probably deteriorates—North Dakota more so. I will be interested to see what Pro Farmer sees.”
Pro Farmer Crop Tour is hitting the fields starting Monday, with a week of roughly 100 scouts capturing more samples across 2,000 fields. The scouts will work their way toward Rochester, Minnesota by Thursday.
Drought conditions continue to plague portions of the Western Corn Belt, but in the East, it's a much different story with Ohio farmers potentially sitting on an above average crop.
Crop scouts weave their way across the Corn Belt as the 2021 Pro Farmer Crop tour kicks off. In the West, scouts will start in the drought-stressed state of South Dakota. The eastern leg starts in Columbus, Ohio.
Because USDA no longer collects objective yield samples in August, this will be the industry’s first broad look at field data from across the Corn Belt.
As the industry tries to get the scope of damage in Iowa, Pro Farmer editor Brian Grete takes you into a damaged corn field to show viewers why measuring the derecho damage was so difficult this year.