The Pro Farmer Crop Tour made its way through Indiana and confirmed what many in the state had already guessed- this corn crop could be a big one. Pro Farmer Editor Brian Grete discussed the corn numbers across the Hoosier state.
“Indiana corn yield, 193.48, that was up 7.6% from last year. When you look at the ear counts, that’s a huge driver there so we’re over 102 ears in two 30-foot rows, up 3% from last year but up 3.8% from the three-year average. The grain length is just over seven inches – you look at a year ago, 6.8 roughly, and then the three-year average of 6.65.”
“It’s beastly. The corn crop, it’s big, it’s beastly, it’s bold, it hits you as a right-in-the-face type of crop,” Grete continued. “It’s unbelievable actually how consistent it is across the state. There are areas that could be better. We noted dryness through the central part of the state, you know, we’re gonna need some rains here to finish it off but, boy, this crop has really gotten off to a tremendous start through the first two-thirds of the growing season here now that the finish line, that last third, is going to be the telltale sign of this year’s crop.”
He says the soybean look promising, but they will need moisture to help fill out the pods as it’s drier than in the past.
“We had beans at 1,239.7, down 3.2%. It’s drier: 3.33 this year and last year, 3.47. The three-year average is 4.13, so it’s drier, 4% drier than last year and 19.4% drier than what it was for the three-year average, and so will we have the moisture to finish out and fill those pods out that are there? You’re looking at your pod counts and a three-by-three square down 3.2% from last year, but up 5.8% from the three year-average, and I think it all comes down to the moisture situation. The growth stage is just a little bit more mature than what we’ve seen historically here in Indiana.”
Grete says the maturity level of the crop took a step up compared to Ohio the day before. Mark Bernard is a long-time participant of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour and says he was impressed with the overall crop development.
“Yeah, no doubt about it. We saw more dented corn and soybeans that were more in that R-6 stage of growth, and if we start seeing that, it’s a month from maturity.”
Source: NAFB News Service