Crop Watch: Bean harvest wrapping up; Illinois corn disappoints

Just three of the 11 U.S. Crop Watch soybean fields still await harvest, but those should be finished early this week as most producers’ harvest paces are ahead of normal.

The western Illinois corn last week became the second completed Crop Watch corn field, and the final yield score ended at 4.5, a quarter-point below expectations. Too much moisture at inopportune times during the season fostered development of yield-robbing disease for a second consecutive year in this location.

Crop Watch producers have been evaluating yield potential for their corn and soy fields on a weekly basis since early July. Ratings are on a 1-to-5 scale, with 3 representing average yields and 5 record or near-record yields.

The southeastern Illinois producer reduced his corn yield score to 4 from 4.75 last week as early results in the area have fallen short of predictions. This corn field was planted earlier than most in the state, possibly a disadvantage in hindsight because it was hurt more by the extreme June heat.

The Illinois adjustments bring the 11-field, unweighted average corn yield to 3.61 versus 3.7 last week, and the new score is the lowest of any week either this year or last year.

Crop Watch corn fields in South Dakota, eastern Iowa and southeastern Illinois are set for harvest within the next seven days, and the corn in Nebraska and Indiana may come off in the following week.

Crop Watch soybean fields in North Dakota, western Illinois and Ohio should be cut this week, and the North Dakota producer increased yield expectations by a half-point to 2.25 based on other nearby results. That bumps the 11-field soy average to 3.52 from 3.48 last week.

The soybeans in western Iowa and Nebraska were harvested over the last few days, both meeting respective yield projections of 4 and 3.

A killing frost on Thursday evening in North Dakota was helpful to get immature beans across the finish line, so harvest pace should be strong there this week. Ohio is the only Crop Watch location where harvest pace has been a little slow as crops are still holding moisture from late-season rains.

Warmer, drier weather will continue to dominate the western Corn Belt in the next week or two, favorable for maintaining the faster harvest pace. Eastern areas may experience cooler temperatures and scattered precipitation, which may limit field work to a normal or even slower pace.

The following are the states and counties of the 2022 Crop Watch corn and soybean fields: Griggs, North Dakota; Kingsbury, South Dakota; Freeborn, Minnesota; Burt, Nebraska; Rice, Kansas; Audubon, Iowa; Cedar, Iowa; Warren, Illinois; Crawford, Illinois; Tippecanoe, Indiana; Fairfield, Ohio.
Source: Reuters (Editing by Matthew Lewis)