The toughest areas of the Corn Belt in regard to the condition of the 2023 crop are where crop tour scouts are the two largest producing states corn and soybean wise, Illinois and Iowa. Kyle Wendland, Northeast Iowa farmer and longtime crop tour scout, says his experience in Illinois was eye opening.
“There was one field in particular, the sample pulled 207 bushel, but the ears were already starting to hang all the lower leaves in the canopy were turning color,” Wendland said. “You’re cracking the ear open to find 50 percent milk line yet and that to me is what seems kind of shocking when you saw an ear hanging with only a 50% milk line and all the lower canopy was just hanging straight down. I didn’t expect to see something like that today. And I know that’s not really beneficial for your final yield for that field.”
Soybeans, however, may have a little bit of a different story.
“Bean wise, pod counts are kind of all over,” Wendland said. “You had good samples; you’ve had some bad samples. You know, same thing just kind of an average crop. Nothing to be super concerned about other than what the forecast is this week. Some of these were still setting pods.”
For more information, visit profarmer.com.
