Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour Finds Further Reduced Yield Potential vs. Recent Estimates

LENEXA, Kan., Aug. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of farmers, agribusiness executives and national and local media attended a series of meetings across the Midwest this week as part of the annual Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour. The Crop Tour focused on crop conditions going into the final stretch of the 2019 growing season.

Pro Farmer estimates the 2019 U.S. corn crop at 13.358 billion bushels, based on an average yield of 163.3 bu. per acre. That would be down from USDA's Aug. 1 estimate of 169.5 bu. per acre. For soybeans, the Pro Farmer production estimate is 3.497 billion bushels, with a national average yield of 46.1 bu. per acre, down from the 48.5 bu. per acre USDA estimated in August.

Crop Tour unveiled the stresses corn and soybean crops were faced with following an excessively wet spring and record-slow planting pace this year. Scouts on Crop Tour sampled around 3,000 fields across the Corn Belt in seven of the nation's most important corn and soybean states.

"Ear counts were lower than last year in all of the Crop Tour states as a result of the rough spring conditions," said Brian Grete, Pro Farmer Editor. "We also found a corn crop that was, in many cases, multiple weeks behind in maturity due to the record-slow planting."

Jeff Wilson, Pro Farmer's Senior Market Analyst, said, "Soybean pod counts in a 3'x3' square were down sharply across the seven Crop Tour states. That means the yield 'factory' is limited, especially in the eastern Corn Belt and South Dakota, where the spring conditions were the worst and plantings were most severely delayed."

More than 125 scouts, including farmers, agribusiness experts, Farm Journal editors and other national and local media, government and financial firm representatives from 12 countries participated in the 2019 Crop Tour. Field scouts gathered crop samples across portions of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota. Collectively, these states account for 70% of U.S. corn production.

The Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour's seven evening meetings and media coverage were sponsored by Pioneer, IBM, RCIS, Farm Credit Services of America, RAM, AeroVironment, Farmobile and Titan Tires.

The final Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour report and meeting in Rochester, Minn., attracted more than 600 attendees and included an expert panel discussion featured on Farm Journal's nationally syndicated weekend television program, U.S. Farm Report. For additional coverage of the 2019 Crop Tour go to www.agweb.com.

Media Contact:  Joe May, Marketing Director, Pro Farmer, 319-883-9616 or [email protected].

About Farm Journal
Farm Journal is the nation's leading business information and media company serving the agricultural market. Started 142 years ago with the preeminent Farm Journal magazine, the company serves the row crop, livestock, produce and retail sectors through branded websites, eNewsletters and phone apps; business magazines; live events including conferences, seminars and trade shows; nationally broadcasted television and radio programs; a mobile text marketing business; and an array of data-driven paid information products. Farm Journal also is the majority shareholder of the online equipment marketplace, Machinery Pete LLC. In 2010, Farm Journal established the non-profit, public charity Farm Journal Foundation dedicated to help sustain agriculture's ability to meet the vital needs of a growing population through education and empowerment.

SOURCE Farm Journal

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http://www.agweb.com