2017 Farm Journal Midwest Crop Tour summary

by | Aug 26, 2017 | Ohio Country Journal

Corn, soybeans and a solar eclipse! All three should make the 2017 Farm Journal Midwest Crop Tour very interesting.

I was on one of nearly 40 teams of four that will venture out into the great unknown. As we spider-webbed our way from Ohio west and from the Dakotas east, covering 80% of the corn and soybean regions of the United States, we dug a little deeper into the nearly harvest-ready corn and the soybean fields.

In general we found abundant variability throughout the east and crops that have a long way to go.

Tour averages

The U.S. corn crop estimate was 13.953 billion bushels with an average yield of 167.1 bushels per acre. The U.S. soybean crop is 4.331 billion bushels with an average yield of 48.5 bushels per acre, according to Farm Journal.

These estimates are based on assumptions for normal weather through September. Weather will be especially important as an earlier-than-normal frost/freeze would damage later-maturing corn and soybeans. We raised harvested soybean acres by 500,000 to 89.231 million acres. Initial Farm Service Agency Certified acreage indicated soybean acres will be higher than estimated than in the June Acreage Report. We made no change to corn acreage.

Ohio corn averaged 163 bushels per acre. Soybeans averaged 53 bushels per acre. Indiana corn averaged 171 bushels per acre. Soybeans averaged 54.5 bushels per acre. Illinois corn averaged 181 bushels per acre. Soybeans averaged 55.5 bushels per acre. Iowa corn averaged 183 bushels per acre. Soybeans averaged 53.5 bushels per acre. Minnesota corn averaged 184 bushels per acre. Soybeans averaged 48.5 bushels per acre. Nebraska corn averaged 180.5 bushels per acre. Soybeans averaged 56.5 bushels per acre. South Dakota corn averaged 138 bushels per acre. Soybeans averaged 40.5 bushels per acre.