Pro Farmer Crop Estimates: Corn and Soybeans Below Expectations

The 2026 Pro Farmer Crop Tour is complete, and experts have made their estimates for the corn and soybean crops. The tour revealed a crop that had solid potential but was limited by variability and fewer bushels than appearances suggested.

Corn yields were estimated at 173.2 bushels per acre, resulting in a total of 15.344 billion bushels. This is below the USDA's August Crop Production report estimate of 180.7 bu./acre. Soybean yields were estimated at 53.3 bushels per acre, with a total of 4.572 billion bushels.

The estimates reflected a rocky growing season across much of the Midwest, with scouts reporting subpar ear counts and grain length due to wet weather and replants in parts of the eastern Corn Belt.