Touring corn and soybean fields in late August is traditionally a great way to get a good handle on total yield potential. But in a year with challenging planting conditions for most of the North American corn growing regions, even a tour this late in the summer carries a healthy does of uncertainty given just how immature the crop is.
Brian Grete, editor of Pro Farmer, attended the eastern leg of the #PFTour19, and shares what he saw across states such as Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana.
Grete says they definitely found evidence of lower production potential for both corn and soybeans compared to the most recent USDA report. The crop condition and immaturity, he says, reflect that late start to the year, in some cases weeks and months later than originally intended. It was also evident that the crop went in in less than ideal planting conditions, he says.
The Pro Farmer tour was not calculating Prevent Plant acres, but Grete says some areas were “shocking” in how few acres were planted, given the quality of the soil and average production from select areas in Ohio, Indiana, and parts of Illinois. In Ohio, Grete says some of the most mature cobs were about where the least mature would be in an average year.
All told, even considering the possibility of a freeze, Pro Farmer analysts estimate the 2019 U.S. corn crop at 163.3 bu/ac, for a total of 13.358 billion bushels national production (+/- one per cent), and beans at 46.1 bu/ac or 3.497 billion bushels national production figure, 46.1 bu/ac (+/- 2 per cent).
There are plenty of tweets from the #PFTour19. Check them out on Twitter!
This is comparing the #corn yield samples by state taken on #pftour19 versus the tour averages from last year and then looking at USDA’s YOY departures. Pretty consistent with the exception of South Dakota. pic.twitter.com/bWPunFVLsr
— Karen Braun (@kannbwx) August 23, 2019
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