Crop Tour Finds South Dakota Corn Yield Prospects Below Average

The annual Pro Farmer crop tour has found that South Dakota's corn yield prospects and soybean pod counts are lower than last year and the three-year average, due to a hot and dry summer. The tour scouts reported an average corn yield of 149.09 bushels per acre in South Dakota, down from 174.18 bpa last year and 162.70 bpa on average over the past three years.

The crop tour also found that Ohio's corn yield is below average, with a projected yield of 180.18 bpa, down from 185.69 last year and 184.31 bpa on average over the past three years. However, Ohio's soybean crops benefited somewhat from recent rains.

The tour's findings may support the USDA's forecast for the nation's second-largest corn crop on record. Despite a large U.S. corn harvest, grain stocks are expected to tighten by the end of the 2026/27 marketing year compared to the prior year, both domestically and globally.

Chicago Board of Trade December corn futures rose 4.6% last week and another 1.3% on Monday to settle at $4.89-1/2 per bushel after posting a three-week high at $4.91-1/2.