pro farmer crop tour 2023 route map

August 21-24, 2023

The Pro Farmer Crop Tour provides insights into potential corn and soybean production and gathers scout reporting from 2,000+ fields across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota. 

In addition to coverage of the Tour on AgWeb, AgDay and social media, you have the opportunity to attend nightly meetings in person or watch the nightly broadcast online where you’ll receive daily results, scouting observations and historical comparison data from our Tour leaders. 

Join Pro Farmer Crop Tour!

Register and attend nightly meetings in person or watch results nightly broadcast live at 8pm. 

Online Broadcast (15 min nightly update) – Free

In-Person Tour nightly meeting - $50 per person  (includes 2 drink tickets and dinner with full program)

Interested in becoming a Crop Tour scout? Send us an email request, and we'll provide complete scouting information. Scout applications begin each year June 1st.   Contact us for more details!

AGENDA  for each nightly meeting:

5:00 - 6:30 pm                 Registration & Cocktail Hour with Sponsors 6:30 - 7:00pm                  Dinner 7:00 - 8:00 pm                 Onsite Program 8:00 - 8:15 pm                  Nightly Broadcast online 8:15 - 8:30 pm                  In-Person wrap up and Q&A

** All times CST.   Noblesville, IN location takes place 1 hour later than times listed above.

EASTERN TOUR

August 21 – Noblesville, IN Embassy Suites Noblesville Indianapolis Conference Center 13700 Conference Center Drive South Noblesville, IN 46060 *note all times above are CST. This location takes place 1 hour later.

August 22 – Bloomington, IL DoubleTree by Hilton 10 Brickyard Drive Bloomington, IL 61701

August 23 – Iowa City, IA Hyatt Regency Coralville 300 East 9th Street Coralville, IA 52241

August 24 – Rochester, MN Mayo Civic Center 30 Civic Center Drive SE Rochester, MN 55902 

WESTERN TOUR

August 21 – Grand Island, NE Riverside Golf Club 2820 Riverside Drive Grand Island, NE 68801

August 22 – Nebraska City, NE Lied Lodge and Conference Center 2700 Sylvan Road Nebraska City, NE 68410

August 23– Spencer, IA Clay County Fair and Events Center 800 West 18th Street Spencer, IA 51301  

August 24 – Rochester, MN Mayo Civic Center 30 Civic Center Drive SE Rochester, MN 55902

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August 19 - 22 • 7 States • Over 2,000 Fields • 31 Years of Data

The United State's largest and most in-depth late-season look at corn and soybean crops.

Unlock the Power of Crop Tour Data

This comprehensive guide shares all you need to know about this year's Pro Farmer Crop Tour, how the data is collected, and the best way to understand and apply it.

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Get "subscribers only" Crop Tour reports, data & more.

Pro Farmer subscribers get scout observations, historical data, state-by-state results and more that aren't available to the general public. 

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Historical Data

Scout Reports

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The Pro Farmer  Crop Tour’s primary goal is to provide the industry with accurate growing season information about likely corn and soybean yields at the state and regional levels during the upcoming harvest season.

Crop Tour's data-gathering methods are disciplined and produce consistent results. Results from the Tour have a big impact on Pro Farmer Newsletter’s annual crop production estimate released at week’s end. But observations gathered during the Tour can be just as important as the data itself.

This report includes:

• Preview of this year's Crop Tour
• How crop conditions are evaluated
• Understanding & applying  Crop Tour data
• Historical differences by state
• Sampling procedures
• Crop Tour FAQs

Regular price: $40/mo

You pay: $20/mo for your first 2 months!

Subscriber Only Insights

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Pro Farmer is the United States’ leading news and marketing organization, providing unbiased market news, analysis and advice to farmers and agribusiness leaders. Included with membership is a subscription to Pro Farmer  Newsletter, the nation's #1 marketing newsletter.

• • Capture higher profits with on-target, practical marketing advice and strategies.
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Pro Farmer tells farmers what they need to know about the corn, soybean, wheat, cotton, hog, and beef markets. Then, Pro Farmer shares how to profit from it in easy-to-read, everyday language. 

Pioneer Updates - Pro Farmer Crop Tour - Day 1

Day 1 Eastern Route

Columbus, OH → Noblesville, IN

Pioneer Leader - Kyle Quick, Field Agronomist

Noblesville, IN

Overall, I believe we are sitting on a good corn crop with a lot of potential to maximize grain fill and test weight.

Crop Conditions - Eastern Indiana

• As of August 19 : Corn crop ranges from R2-R5 development stages in much of eastern Indiana.
• Soybean crop growth stages range from R3-R7.
• Early season rain events meant sporadic planting windows for both corn and soybeans.
• GDU, solar radiation and annual rainfall all are tracking above the 10-year average.
• Foliar diseases set in early, stalled out near pollination, and are now progressing aggressively as we move into later reproductive stages with ample moisture and cooling temperatures. 
• Crop will be variable and largely based on planting date and early-season stress mitigation.
• Result - decrease in nodulation and late-season nitrogen fixation.
• Late season Phytophthora , SDS and other root pathogens were more predominant from early season stress.

Extreme Weather in July

• Some sporadic kernel set during pollination .
• Results were uneven kernel fill.
• Central Indiana was most affected.

'Highlighter Green' Soybeans

• Early season stress in root development leads to poor root inoculation.
• Nutrient demand during reproductive stages peak and stressed areas begin to show.
• Early planted beans can have more nodes and thus require more N from rhizobium .

Day 1 Western Route

Sioux Falls, SD → Grand Island, NE

Pioneer Leader - Kevin Keller, Field Agronomist

Kearney, NE

As of August 19: Corn is in the R4/ R5 stage. Soybeans are at ~R5 for most of the area.

Crop Conditions - South-Central Nebraska

Early season heavy rain events made emergence and stand establishment particularly challenging in many areas. Several washouts occurred with an April 25/26 rain event in south-central Nebraska.

Washout from April 25 rains. (Photo: Gavin Kenny)

• Soybean seed treatments really flexed their strength this spring with stand establishment.

Dectes stem borer damage. (Photo: Kevin Keller)

• The environment has been favorable for Sclerotinia white mold development.
• Lack of rain in July with the onset of heat has really taken its toll on dryland crops.

Delayed and missed pollination. (Photo: Kevin Keller)

• Bacterial leaf streak progressed aggressively early.
• The main concerning disease in the south-central part of the state is southern rust.
• Northern corn leaf was discovered in early July.
• We are watching out for Goss’s wilt as conditions have been conducive.

Summer Hail Event

Multiple rounds of hail in June and July devastated a large number of corn acres, and left others relatively beat up. Some replant did take place, but those crops are behind as they were planted in July.

July 6 Hail Event  (Photo: Kevin Keller)

Just as in corn, several soybean fields were impacted by hail in June and July. Recovery has been better than in corn due to the timing of damage but yield loss has occurred.

Hail recovery on young soybean plant. (Photo: Kevin Keller)

Corn Portfolio Marketing Lead Brandon Walter

Corn Innovation: Vorceed Enlist & PowerCore Enlist

Social links & tools, follow pioneer:.

• X (formerly known as Twitter) - (#PFTour24)
• GDU Calculator
• Corn Yield Estimator

Find Out More from Pro Farmer

Crop Tour Days 2 - 4

Eastern route.

Day 2 - Noblesville, IN. - Bloomington, IL Day 3 - Bloomington, IL. - Iowa City, IA. Day 4 - Iowa City, IA. - Rochester, MN.

Western Route

Day 2 - Grand Island, NE - Nebraska City, NE Day 3 - Nebraska City, NE. - Spencer, IA. Day 4 - Spencer, IA. - Rochester, MN.

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Preliminary route reports from Day 3 of the Pro Farmer Tour

Preliminary route reports from brian grete, mark bernard, chip flory and brent judisch on day 3 of the pro farmer crop tour..

Preliminary Route Report with Brian Grete, eastern Tour leader

What counties (with state and district) have you sampled from?

Illinois: Woodford, Marshall, Putnam, Bureau, Lee, Whiteside Districts 1, 4

Corn yield range:

• 148.9 to 238.3 bpa

Corn yield average:

Soybean pod count range in 3’x3’ square:

• 734 to 1637

Soybean pod count average in 3’x3’ square:

Please share a few (one to three) comments from your route:

As we drove north and westward, moisture levels compared to more central areas of the state were quite noticeable. Foliar issues were more prevalent in the more northern samples, with plants starting to breakdown from disease pressure. Though field centers were better than end rows and edges of fields. There was plenty of variability within fields, but yields were solid despite the stress the crop’s been through.

Soybean pod counts were strong and consistent, aside from one sample. Disease, weed and insect pressure was minimal.

Preliminary Route Report with Mark Bernard, eastern Tour consultant

Illinois: Christian, Sangamon, Morgan, Macoupin, Greene, Cass District 6

• 144 to 223 bpa
• 120 to 1662.7

Please share a few comments from your route:

Crops were much more mature than we’ve seen in the previous two days. Our samples were at 1/2 milk line to milk layer. This area is motoring right along towards harvest—and should be, we’ve noticed some major stalk quality issues—The crop’s been pushed hard and is starting to cannibalize itself. A windstorm at this point would not bode well for Central Illinois. We did see some tar spot, though it seemingly had little impact on the ear. Doubt that it will have much of an effect as far advanced as the crop is.

Soybeans, for the most part, were pretty good compared to the route yesterday. Pods are filled out compared to the flatter pods we’d seen the previous two days. The bean crop is certainly heading down the home stretch as well. Moisture was variable, but there was adequate moisture in most fields. Did see a little SDS, though nothing widespread…weed and insect pressure was light.

Preliminary Route Report with Chip Flory, western Tour leader

Iowa: Ida, Woodbury, Cherokee, Buena Vista Districts 1, 4

• 45.13 to 194.5 bpa
• 785.2 to 2,499.3

We’ve seen the effects of June in shorter ears and grain length. The worst field we sampled was hail damaged. Ear counts aren’t off all that much but did see some severe tipback. Not what I was expecting to see. Lots of plants fired from the ground to the ear due to prolonged moisture stress.

Soybeans still have a chance, but I’m seeing white mold in almost every field that I’ve been in and can pick out the pockets just driving by. It seems early July rains likely triggered the mold growth. Combined with moisture stress, the mold is killing the plant and causing widespread color variability within fields. Pod counts are good, but the crop will look entirely different next week.

Preliminary Route Report with Brent Judisch, western Tour consultant

Iowa—Harrison, Monona, Woodbury, Plymouth

• 129 to 229 bpa
• 457 to 1743

We saw a notable reduction in ear counts and length, which kept much of the crop from reaching 200 bu.—with June weather the likely culprit. While rains in the last two weeks have greened things up, the damage was already done a month to six weeks ago. Samples were Dented; 1/4 milk line to milk layer. Almost every corn field looks better from the road than the middle of the field, where the samples were taken.

Beans aren’t showing any stress by looking at them, but at the same time, we didn’t see the pods per plant that we’d hoped for. Weed and insect pressure is minimal. We did see some shorter maturity beans where the whole field is turning. I would consider the western Iowa soybean crop mildly disappointing.

GET THE MAGAZINE

• Crop Production

Watch Live: Pro Farmer Crop Tour Results, Day 3

Watch live as we reveal the results of Day 3 of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour. The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. central/9 p.m. eastern.

Click here to read full Crop Tour reports and yield estimates.

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