Great Ontario Yield Tour scouts report some regional challenges, including excess moisture, excess heat, delayed planting, emergence issues and concerns about weather during key crop development stages.
Ontario's annual Great Ontario Yield Tour is underway, and early reports are painting a generally optimistic picture for the province's 2026 corn and soybean crop. However, Great Ontario Yield Tour scouts have also highlighted regional challenges.
The 11th Annual Great Ontario Yield Tour, running from August 10 to August 21, 2026, brings together crop scouts, agronomists, farmers, and industry representatives to assess yield potential across Ontario's major production regions. The tour focuses on corn kernel counts and soybean pod counts while documenting growing conditions throughout the province.
Farms.com Risk Management Chief Commodity Strategist Maurizio Agostino reports there are several emerging themes.
Crop Potential Appears Strong
Mostly, the scouts are reporting optimism. Agostino says Ontario's planting season began under generally favourable conditions with adequate soil moisture and good planting opportunities across much of the province, but a wet/cool start may have posed an emergence issue with plant population. He indicates that many corn and soybean fields entered August with strong yield potential.
Agostino described the season as having "a great start so far," although he noted some weather-related challenges in specific regions. “I’m seeing healthy crop stands and strong plant development for the most part with strong potential for great yields.”
He reports there are no leaf diseases in corn with some tip back from heat during silking with spider mites and white mold in soybeans but overall, very healthy crops.
Excess Moisture Created Regional Challenges
Despite the positive outlook, not all regions experienced ideal conditions.
Scouts in Essex and Niagara say these counties are among the areas facing setbacks due to excessive moisture. Some fields experienced delayed planting and instances of replanting, particularly on heavier clay soils.
These localized challenges highlight the variability that often exists within Ontario's agricultural landscape says Agostino.
While some areas benefited from ample moisture, others dealt with wet fields that complicated planting and early-season management decisions. Others were too dry Lambton (Forest) and Chatham-Kent County (Thamesville) as well as areas in Perth and Wellington County.
Weather Remains a Key Discussion Point
As Agostino chats with farmers while crop scouting, the recurring topic for 2026 has been weather.
Ontario entered the growing season largely drought-free following a wet spring. However, a dry stretch during early June raised concerns in some northern and eastern regions, producing uneven crop emergence in isolated areas. In the west it turned dry in July unless you got timely rains.
Participants have also been watching weather developments across North America. Tour commentary has highlighted expanding drought conditions in parts of the U.S. Corn Belt and the potential impact that heat during pollination could have on crop yields. While those concerns are centred south of the border, Ontario growers remain attentive to weather patterns during the critical grain-filling period.
Corn and Soybean Acres Increased in 2026
Another important factor emerging from the Great Ontario Yield Tour is acreage expansion. According to the Farms.com Ontario Planting Intentions Survey conducted in the spring, farmers increased both corn and soybean acreage in 2026. Survey results projected soybean acreage rising by approximately 3.6 per cent year-over-year, while corn acreage was expected to increase by roughly 4 per cent.
Higher acreage combined with generally favourable growing conditions has created expectations for another significant crop year if weather remains cooperative through harvest says Agostino.
Field observations for corn so far include root worm easting silks in Waterloo, white mold in Brant, and green snap in corn from a windstorm three weeks ago as well as some tip back in Chatham-Kent.
On August 13, Agostino reported “Looks good from the road, but when tested, not so much! Not all plants emerged with some suckers and too many 14 and 12 kernel counts around. Soybeans were tall with lots of vegetation and were outyielding corn with lots of pods and some 4 podders the further east we travelled east of Woodstock.”
Final yield estimates and additional field observations are expected as the tour wraps up and organizers host their eastern and western Ontario summary events later this month.
If you would like your farm to be part of the scouting, contact Agostino – but there is only one week left in the scouting tour.
As noted above, the Great Ontario Yield Tour will share its Ontario yield estimates with attendees at two final Great Ontario Yield Tour Events. These events are held to bring farmers up to speed on the tour findings and to learn more about how to better their yields by providing demos on new technology, farm management practices, and agronomy. The first event will take place on Thursday, August 20,2026, at Domar Farms in Moose Creek Ontario. The Final event will take place on Thursday, August 27, at Oxford Agropro in Hickson, Ontario.
Click here to register to attend the events, which will feature educational demos, and Guest Speakers Patrick Lynch and Greg Stewart. But hurry, there is a maximum capacity for attendees, and will be offered on a first come, fist served, basis. Follow the tour on X with #ONYield2.
Photo Caption: Chief economist for the tour this year is Hicham Fram, who is pictured here with his Ceresco colleague Jon Rosenthal in a field in Chatham Kent.