August 20, 2009

Soy pod counts were well below average on one Illinois route of the 2009 Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour, while corn yields were varied.

 

The route, which headed west from Bloomington past Peoria into Warren County, consistently turned up soy plants that still had blooms on them.

 

After six fields, the average pod count in a three-foot by three-foot space was 786 pods, well below the region's three-year average of around 1,300.

 

The weak counts are a likely result of a wet spring that delayed planting, as well as cool summer temperatures, scouts said. But one veteran scout who farms in Ohio said the crop could still turn out OK.

 

"If we get a rain and a late frost, it will change substantially," the veteran scout said.

 

The soy pod count average was boosted by a field near Monmouth, which had 1,219 pods. The fields on the route all looked impressive to scouts from the road, despite the disappointing pod counts.

 

Limited disease pressure continues to characterize the tour. Scouts noted isolated aphids and Japanese beetles on soy, and one corn field with crazy top. Crazy top is a disease that causes malformation of the corn plants, especially around the tassel area.

 

The average corn yield in six fields was 171.3 bushels per acre, with a range of 124 to 205.

 

But a scout noted development generally was not yet in the denting stage, and corn would need more time to reach full maturity.

 

The US Department of Agriculture on Aug. 12 projected that Illinois would produce a corn crop of 2.118 billion bushels, down slightly from 2.130 billion last year, with a yield of 175 bushels/acre, down from 179 bushels.

 

Illinois' soy crop is projected at 398.2 million bushels, down from 427.7 million in 2008, according to the USDA. The government projects a yield of 44 bushels/acre, down from 47 bushels.

 

The third day of the eastern tour will end up Wednesday night in Iowa City, Iowa, where tour officials will calculate the average corn yield for Indiana and average soy pod counts in a three-foot by three-foot square area.

 

The Pro Farmer tour also has a western leg, which left Nebraska City, Neb., on Wednesday. Both legs of the tour will converge in Austin, Minn., on Thursday.