It’s a Hit and Miss Story by Region - Hot, Dry Weather Slashes Ontario Corn and Soybean Yields Below 10-Year Averages
Ontario’s 2025 corn and soybean harvest is shaping up to be one of the most challenging in recent memory, as persistent drought and heat have pushed yields below the Agricorp 10-year average say experts and master scouts Moe Agostino and Henry Prinzen of the 2025 Great Ontario Yield Tour.
According to 2025 Great Ontario Yield Tour data, released at the final event in Woodstock today, corn yields are averaging 178.93 bushels per acre (bpa)—well below the 10-year average of 186 bpa.
Soybeans are also underperforming, coming in at 46.61 bpa, compared to the 10-year 48 bpa average.
While crop health remains relatively clean with minimal disease and weed pressure (due to the dry weather), the lack of moisture has taken a toll from Highway 19 east of Ingersoll Ontario. The driest conditions are reported in Norfolk County, Central Ontario, and North and South Dundas, extending into Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry, as well as the Ottawa Valley. These areas have seen as little as 0 to 1 inch of rain over the past three months, leading to unprecedented crop failures.
Problem areas also include central Ontario from Peterborough though to Prince Edward County.
For the first time in a decade, some farmers report they have had to zero out corn and soybean fields are they are dead!
Plant populations are lower than normal, and corn ears are showing fewer kernels per row. Soybean pods are also lighter, with the hot, dry forecast for the next 7–14 days offering little hope for late-season recovery.
Southwestern Ontario is fairing slightly better, with yields above average but far from exceptional. East, North, and South of Highway 19 in Ingersoll, however, the story is much grimmer.
Farmers across the province are now weighing their options, with many turning to crop insurance and government support programs to offset losses. As the weather outlook remains unfavorable, Ontario’s ag community is bracing for a tough finish to the growing season say the organizers of Great Ontario Yield Tour.
The 2025 Great Ontario Yield Tour is a two-week data tour (corn kernel & soybean pod counting) which took place from August 11 - August 22, 2025.
REGION | CORN | SOY |
---|
All OF ONTARIO | 178.93 | 46.61 |
South Western Ontario | 200.18 | 55 |
South Eastern Ontario | 166.17 | 45.19 |
Western Ontario | 181.7 | 42.01 |
Eastern Ontario | 171.18 | 46.18 |
Central Ontario | 131.82 | 30.89 |
REGION | CORN | SOY |
---|
Essex | 205 | 51 |
Chatham-Kent | 213 | 57 |
Lambton | 192 | 55 |
Middlesex | 184 | 52 |
Elgin | 209 | 61 |
Haldimand-Norfolk | 146 | 46 |
Niagara | 148 | 38 |
Brant | 144 | 41 |
Hamilton-Wentworth | 152 | 49 |
Oxford | 196 | 54 |
Waterloo | 201 | 49 |
Perth | 189 | 47 |
Huron | 177 | 41 |
Bruce | 199 | 48 |
Grey | 176 | 41 |
Wellington | 193 | 45 |
Halton | 150 | 34 |
Peel | 161 | 42 |
Dufferin | 168 | 39 |
Simcoe | 160 | 32 |
Lennox & Addington | 127 | 39 |
Frontenac | 123 | 41 |
Lanark | 154 | 43 |
Leeds & Grenville | 159 | 46 |
Ottawa | 166 | 51 |
Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry | 176 | 47 |
Prescott & Russell | 185 | 44 |
Renfrew | 164 | 49 |
York | 146 | 39 |
Durham | 147 | 35 |
Kawartha Lakes | 118 | 27 |
Peterborough | 127 | 28 |
Northumberland | 141 | 29 |
Prince Edward | 111 | 28 |
Hastings | 100 | 29 |