OSCEOLA, Neb. - Heat during key phases of development and wind damage have dragged down corn yield prospects in east-central Nebraska, but timely early August rains have boosted soybean crop potential, scouts on annual tour found on Tuesday.
Scouts on the four-day Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour noted heavy occurrences of "green snap" -- corn stalk breakages caused by strong winds -- throughout fields.
"You are leaving a lot of (corn) ears on the ground," said Chip Flory, a leader on the tour. "That is enough to change your attitude about a crop."
Additionally, heat during pollination likely limited the size of the corn ears that were not damaged by wind.
On a route that made stops in Hamilton, Polk and York counties, average corn yields were estimated at 153.8 bushels per acre (bpa), based on surveys of five fields. That compares with calculations of 172.0 bpa in the same area during the 2015 tour and the tour's three-year average for the area of 167.7 bpa.
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Soybean pod counts per 3-by-3-foot square (0.8 square meters) averaged 1,260.7 along the route. Soybean pod counts averaged 1,218.3 in 2015 and the tour's average for the area is 1,132.0.
Scouts do not estimate soybean yields but instead calculate the number of pods in 3-by-3-foot plots to gauge yield potential.
On another route through Clay, Hall and Adams counties, corn yields averaged 132.0 bpa and soybean pod counts came in at 1,365 per 3-by-3 foot square.
A third route found an average corn yield of 152.0 bpa and soybean pod counts of 1,413.
The U.S. Agriculture Department has forecast corn yields in Nebraska, the country's third-largest corn grower, at 187.0 bpa this year, up from 185.0 bpa in 2015. The agency forecast soybean yields in the No. 5 producing state at 59.0 bpa, up 2 bushels from 2015.
Scouts on the Pro Farmer tour collect samples in corn and soybeans for four days, with the eastern leg starting in Columbus, Ohio, and the western leg starting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The two groups converge in Rochester, Minnesota, on Thursday. Pro Farmer will release its estimates of U.S. crop production, using data collected from the tour and other sources, on Friday.
Both legs on Monday pegged corn yields and soybean pod counts below the tour's three-year averages in Ohio and South Dakota.
