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Farmers’ soybean yield estimates vary across the grain belt

Soybean yield estimates are all over the board as many midwestern farmers wait for harvest to begin.

Stan Born in central Illinois says while a summer dry spell stressed the crop some, it still looks pretty good.

“Soybeans, I believe, will be above my five-year average of 62 bushels per acre. I think we have a chance of being in the 70+ range this year.”

Dawn Scheier’s farm in southeast South Dakota got hit with a spring derecho bearing 120 mph winds which forced them to replant more than 500 acres of soybeans that saw very little water in August.  

“We are thinking our beans will be about 40 bushels per acre. In the state, the further north you go the beans are looking better, but the further south it gets drier.”

Northwest Iowa farmer Brian Kemp says they were on the edge of drought all summer and yields will vary greatly based on which fields got rain.

“I anticipate hitting my five-year average or maybe 5% less. I will probably be in a 55-60 bushels per acre whole-farm range.”

The three farmers made their comments during a recent webinar hosted by the US Soybean Export Council.