How are your crops faring this year? What are your hopes for yields? We’re asking growers about what’s really happening in their fields. Click the Feedback From The Field reporting form and give us your first-hand account on conditions and yields.

Use the interactive map below to see all this year’s reports just by clicking the flagged locations. Click the box in the upper left-land corner of the map to bring up an index of what the different colors of the markers signify and to toggle the week’s reports on and off.


The 2019 growing season started off historically wet. Now as September comes to a close, more areas are experiencing way too much rain, adding insult to injury.

The northwest quarter of the Midwest and Plains saw above normal precipitation for the month, with some areas of the northern Plains receiving six times the average amount. All the moisture delayed spring wheat harvest, raising concerns about both quality and quantity, sparking a sharp rally by Minneapolis futures.

“Six inches of rain,” wrote a producer from western Minnesota last week on Feedback From The Field. “Wheat that is left in field in very tough shape.”

“Spring wheat is all sprouting in the field,” added a farmer from the border between the Dakotas.

“Wheat crop is garbage,” concluded a northeast Montana grower.

Corn and soybean fields were also impacted by precipitation, both too much and too little.

“Everything is very late due to extremely wet weather, many drowned out spots, not many hot days and too cool nights,” summed up a producer from western Illinois.

Damp conditions caused issues with both corn and soybeans, from white mold in central Minnesota to lodging in western Iowa.

But not all parts of the growing region are wet. Most of the eastern third of the U.S. has below normal soil moisture.

“Very dry,” noted a grower in northeast Indiana. “Double crop beans are extremely stressed.”

“Extremely dry,” added another producer southeast of Indianapolis. “Late corn will be 120-140 bushels per acre.”

Despite the problems, ratings from farmers actually improved last week. Yield estimates are also moving higher. Average corn yields of 163.4 bushels per acre are still five bpa below USDA’s Sept. 12 estimate, but the soybean yield of 48.1 bpa is slightly higher than the government’s last estimate. Some producers are still optimistic if weather stabilizes for the rest of the growing season with no damaging frost.

“Early green snap across our area is about the only yield limit factor on irrigated corn,” said a farmer from western Nebraska. “Dryland corn and soybeans are coming in 25-35% above normal yields.”

Source: Bryce Knorr, Farm Futures