US Midwest Corn Crop Smallest Since 2019

Sep 05, 2022

By Crystal Futrell

As the US corn and soybean harvests approach, final efforts are underway to determine the size and scope of this year’s crops. The most recent effort was Pro Farmer’s Midwest Crop Tour where scouts toured seven states over three days to measure and estimate yields from some of the nation’s most predominant corn and soybean growing areas.

Scouts on this year’s tour forecast the 2022 corn crop at 13.759 billion bushels with an average yield of 168.1 bushels per acre. If realized, this would be the smallest corn harvest in three years and would measure far below the US Department of Agriculture’s Aug. 12 Crop Production forecast of 14.530 billion bushels and projected yield of 175.4 bushels per acre.

A summer plagued by intense heat and little rainfall proved too stressful for corn crops in some states. In Indiana, the crop estimate was close to other states, but shortened ears affected the quality level. Widespread drought in South Dakota resulted in the lowest bushels per acre corn yield estimate of the tour. Extreme weather also had impacted the Nebraska crop; hail and wind injuries were noted, but some areas of the state were so dry that even irrigated fields showed drought damage.

Despite dry conditions, scouts on the tour said overall soil moisture in most states was adequate enough to produce a quality soybean crop. South Dakota, which had the lowest bus per acre yield estimate of the tour, had suffered extreme heat and drought damage, forcing some farmers to abandon their crop. But excessive moisture in Minnesota was leading to some soybean fields to display signs of Sudden Death Syndrome disease. Generally, scouts said most states had average to excellent crops that would likely finish strong.

In the USDA’s weekly Crop Progress report, the soybean crop in the 18 major growing states was rated 57% good to excellent on Aug. 28, unchanged from the previous week and slightly above the 56% rating during the same week in 2021.

About 27% of US corn production areas and 20% of US soybean areas are in drought, according to the USDA’s analysis of the Aug. 23 US Drought Monitor.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.