Corn yields above average but variable in western Ohio

Corn yields in western Ohio were slightly above average, but excessive early-season rains likely limited the crop's potential, scouts on an annual crop tour said on Monday. Corn fields had uneven stands or heights and plant maturity was variable from field to field, both indications of overly wet weather that prompted some farmers to replant flooded-out crops, they said.
Soybeans, too, showed stress from overly wet conditions. The Farm Journal Midwest Crop Tour is traversing the US Corn Belt this week, estimating corn yields and counting soyabean pods to gauge the crop's potential. "There were some heavy rains when corn was being planted and when the corn was coming up," said Mark Bernard, an agronomist with the eastern leg of the four-day tour.
"In soyabeans, excess water led to lower pod counts and uneven stands. I think (recent rains) might help the crop put on a few more pods, but for the most part the crop is done flowering," he said. Scouts on one route made four stops in Madison, Clark and Warren counties, calculating the average corn yield at 170.9 bushels per acre (bpa), compared with about 160.0 bpa in the same areas surveyed last year and the three-year tour average of 167.4 bpa.
Soybean pod counts averaged 963 pods per 3-by-3-foot (91 cm by 91 cm) plot, down from 1,117 pods in the same area last year and the three-year tour average of 1,222 pods. The tour does not estimate soyabean yields. Instead, scouts calculate the number of pods per square yard and record plant development stage and soil moisture to gauge yield potential.
A second route through Madison and Champaign counties estimated yields at 173.0 bpa based on six field stops, above 157.1 last year and 164.1 bpa on average. Pod counts along the route averaged 1,368 pods per plot, versus 1,052 pods last year and 1,140 pods on average.
The average corn yield in Ohio is projected by the US Department of Agriculture at 171.0 bushels per acre statewide, up from 159.0 bpa last year. Soybean yields in the state are pegged at 53.0 bpa, versus 54.5 last year. The eastern leg of the tour departed from Columbus, Ohio, while the western leg began in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Both legs will converge in Rochester, Minnesota, on Thursday for a final tour summary. Pro Farmer newsletter, one of the organizers of the annual tour, will release its US crop production outlook on Friday afternoon, drawing from tour observations.