For Chris Schenk, the 2026 harvest is shaping up to be one for the record books. Across his family’s farm near Mankato, Minnesota, corn yields are running well above normal, grain quality is impressing and test weights are giving farmers another reason to celebrate.
“Across the farm, yeah, from field to field,” Schenk says when asked whether this could be a record crop. “We’ve had high yields before on certain fields, but this is just field after field. It’s just solid.”
After more than three decades of farming, Schenk says it is not just the volume of grain coming out of the fields that stands out this year. The quality is also catching his attention.
High Yields and Heavy Test Weights
As both a farmer and a seed dealer, Schenk has been keeping a close eye on what is coming out of the fields around southern Minnesota. One of the biggest surprises has been the test weight.
Some of the corn coming off his farm is testing around 58.5 to 59 pounds per bushel, while other farmers hauling grain to local elevators have reported test weights approaching 61 pounds.
“I had customers calling this morning that are hauling it at the elevator, and they’re getting 60, almost close to 61-pound test weight,” Schenk says. “So when that corn’s drying down naturally, there’s where it’s packed in there.”
Schenk attributes the impressive test weights to deep kernels and strong starch development, signs that the crop finished the growing season well.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of this kernel depth. Those are deep kernels,” he says. “This corn finished off really, really good, so there’s a lot of starch packed in there. That’s where we’re getting our test weight from.”
For Schenk, the quality of this year’s corn and soybeans is among the best he can remember.
“Quality of the grain is top-notch this year,” he says.
Timely Rain and Heat Help Drive Yields
The strong harvest comes after a growing season that did not always look so promising.
Earlier this spring, conditions were dry as Schenk planted corn about 2.25 to 2.5 inches deep. A timely rain followed, helping get the crop off to a strong start.
“I ran my hand through the dirt,” Schenk says of planting season. “We were putting the seed down there at that two and a quarter, two and half inches deep. And we got a rain after that, and it was off to the races.”
Schenk believes the combination of timely rainfall and summer heat helped push yields higher than expected.
“I think it was the heat. I think it just came at the right time, and we did get the right amount of rain at the right time,” he says. “I think that’s what it’s all about, the yield anyway. We can try everything from the start, and that’s all we do. We lay it down, and we let the Lord give us the weather after that.”
Those conditions appear to have paid off. Schenk estimates corn yields across his operation are running about 15 to 20 bushels per acre above his actual production history, or APH, yield.
His father, Allan Schenk, who has farmed the same fields for 56 years, also credits the heat and timely rain for the strong crop.
“I know we don’t like the heat, but it was the heat, but it actually got too hot,” Allan Schenk says. “But the good Lord was good to us and gave us rain, kind of when we needed it.”
After more than five decades of farming, Allan says this year’s crop ranks among the best he has ever grown.
“Yes, I would say yes,” he says when asked whether this is the best crop he has seen.
Now, operating the combine is his primary role during harvest, a job he enjoys even more when yields are strong.
“When you’ve got a good crop, yes, it is very, very good,” he says. “It makes you feel proud that all the years that you did that to raise a good crop.”
A Strong Crop Meets Limited Elevator Space
While the Schenks are pleased with what they are harvesting, getting the crop out of the field has taken longer than expected.
A stretch of rain earlier in the season delayed harvest, putting farmers behind schedule. By late October, warmer temperatures and sunshine were helping the crop dry down and allowing combines to return to the fields.
“You know, we got that rain spell, so it kind of kicked us back a couple days,” Chris Schenk says. “And then you start adding those up, and next thing is you’re a week behind. So, yeah, it’s go time now.”
The strong yields are also creating challenges at local grain elevators, where storage capacity is becoming a concern.
“They don’t want it. They don’t have the room for it,” Schenk says of the local elevators. “So they’re stretching the bases to keep it at home.”
Schenk says farmers are receiving frequent messages from cooperatives warning that space is filling up. Some facilities are limiting deliveries to contracted grain, while others are reporting long lines.
“We’re getting texts every day from the co-ops telling us that they’re getting full or they’re only going to take contracted grain, no spot stuff, or the lines are long,” he says.
The volume of grain moving through the area is another indication of just how strong the crop could be.
“I haven’t had one customer call that’s disappointed in the yields yet,” Schenk says.
Not Every Minnesota Farmer Is Seeing the Same Story
The strong results around Mankato are not representative of every Minnesota growing region. Earlier in October, flooding caused by excessive rainfall affected areas about 30 miles from the Schenks’ farm, while hail in other parts of the state damaged portions of the crop.
For the Schenks, however, the combination of strong yields, high test weights and impressive grain quality has made the 2026 harvest one to remember.
After more than 30 years of farming, Chris Schenk says seeing field after field produce strong results is what makes this season stand out. And with combines still working through the crop, the full picture of this year’s harvest is continuing to come into focus.
