Crop Conditions
USDA says Texas farmers have 59% of their crop in the ground, identical to 2024. One key difference from last year: Illinois has yet to register any discernible corn planting progress, according to the first report of the 2025 season.
While macronutrients and micronutrients such as zinc, iron, and manganese contribute to high yields, yield champs say don’t overlook the importance of having soil pH in place first.
Many seed beans were hammered by heat and drought at harvest last year, leading to variable seed quality this season. Knowing your warm/cold germ scores and using seed treatments at planting can help you get the crop off to a stronger start, especially early soybeans.
Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien’s principal atmospheric scientist, breaks down what the next few days of heavy rains mean for drought risk and what planting windows could look like in the weeks ahead.
Brian Naber says growing up in a farming family in southwest Minnesota helped prepare him for the rigors of leading the company through the ag industry’s current economic and regulatory challenges.
Add several thousand ears per acre to your yield results and boost ROI by getting your planter ready for the field. Be sure to download our free planter prep checklist.
ENSO-neutral means conditions could be close to average, but Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien’s principal atmospheric scientist, says that doesn’t mean the weather will be normal this spring and summer with growing concerns about drought.
When growing soybeans, the first thing farmers need to explore is where they can get those “free bushels,” says Randy Dowdy. One of the most important factors to consider is planting date, specifically the need to plant early.
Ken Ferrie says to batten down the hatches for this season by picking the right hybrids, placing them on the right fields and giving them the right management. He outlines the steps you can take now to do just that.
About 45% of U.S. corn production acres and 36% of the soybean ground are dry. The western Corn Belt needs moisture, in particular. A big, wet snowstorm could help, says Eric Snodgrass.
At the height of the recent cold wave in January, subzero temperatures were noted across the Great Plains and as far south as the northern Panhandle of Texas. According to USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey, temperatures dipped to -20°F and below across the Northern Plains.
A new map from the SCN Coalition can give you an idea of whether the pest is in your county. Soil testing this spring will confirm whether the pest is in your fields, dinging yields and dollars.
Ken Ferrie advises farmers to plant no more than a third of their acres to a new corn product, if they don’t have significant experience with it. He says to bank on proven winners in the field for next season.
Our brief video takes you through evaluating stand losses from pest pressure, disease issues and dry conditions in a central Illinois cornfield. These insights can help you plan for next season’s bumper yields.
Severely bruised corn stalks can limit the plants’ ability to translocate water and nutrients and even cause the growing point region to die.
As the 2024 growing season starts to wind down in the Midwest, the weather to this point has been “uneventful,” describes Brad Rippey, USDA meteorologist.
Corn yield estimates in South Dakota are less than 1 bu. per acre lower than 2023 tour estimates while soybean pod counts are up. Ohio’s corn yield estimates are slightly lower than last year and soybean pod counts came in 1.84% lower.
With eyes on the forecast for July, one ag meteorologist says it looks fairly favorable for much of the Midwest, but there are a few wild cards.
There’s a big crop in the field for many Midwest growers, and it requires fuel. N supplies ears with the energy they need to add kernels all the way to their tips and to pack on weight.
On the heels of Crop Tour, Pro Farmer projects corn production below and soybean production above USDA estimates. Here’s the yield breakdown for seven Midwest states.
The fourth and final day of the 32nd Pro Farmer Crop Tour wrapped up on Thursday, Aug. 22, with numbers from Minnesota and eastern Iowa samples combined for full Iowa results.
The Illinois corn crop didn’t quite meet USDA’s expectations of 225 bu./acre, but it hit 204.14 bu. At the same time, Iowa’s soybean crop is putting out big numbers.
The corn yield estimate in Indiana is nearly 7 bu. per acre above the 2023 tour estimate; the soybean estimate is up 7.56%. Nebraska’s corn yield estimate is just over 6 bu. per acre higher than last year, and the soybean estimate is up 1.07%.
Is there anything farmers can do to agronomically plan for the unpredictable? Two agronomists weigh in with strategies to decrease risk.
The latest WASDE report from the USDA forecasts record-breaking yields in five of the states Pro Farmer Crop Tour will tour —Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. Illinois could see an amazing average corn yield of 225 bu. per acre.
Crop Tour is a fact-finding mission with a goal of getting a strong, objective view of corn yield potential from one big field across seven states.
A new Kansas City Fed report shows farm incomes continued to weaken, particularly in crop-heavy states like Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, while cattle prices provided some support.
Yield losses of 10 bu. to 35 bu. per acre are common in affected cornfields, especially where farmers have a later-planted crop and in those fields with L2 hybrids.
With extreme heat predicted for much of the U.S., USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says growing conditions the Midwest should be favorable.
Hot, dry weather is forecasted for Russia and Ukraine while flooding in the U.S. Midwest shuts down rail lines and submerges fields and towns. China’s corn and soybean crops are getting some relief after a heatwave.