How are your crops faring this year? What are your early hopes for yields? We’re asking growers about what’s really happening in their fields.

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.

Milder temperatures and at least a little rainfall in most areas improved crop ratings last week according to farmers posting observations on Feedback From The Field. But overall yield expectations remain far below USDA’s Aug. 12 estimates as growers wait out the end of a challenging growing season. Hoping for the best, or at least okay, but fearing the worst is typical

“Most fields have some hotspot yield loss, but timely rains have held us together well,” said a farmer near Lincoln, NE. “Seems like the poor pockets are getting worse but good spots are continuing to thrive.”

Condition of individual fields in many cases depends on when they were planted.

“Received 2 plus inches of rain through the weekend,” was the report from west central Iowa.  “Really going to help finish the beans off here.  Corn looks excellent and so do early planted beans.  Late planted beans will struggle.  I’d say we are on par with yields from last year on the April and early May planted crops.”

But crops are in worse condition elsewhere in areas hard hit by prevent plant claims.

In the eastern Corn Belt, fields that started off way too wet were drying out quickly before receiving a little rain over the past week.

“Crop is needing rain in the worst way,” said a grower in eastern Indiana. “Corn is rolled up.  We are starting to see beans changing color on the lighter ground.”

“Corn and beans typically 2 to 3 weeks behind 5-year average where they typically are this time of year.,” noted a southern Ohio farmer. “Caught rains in the nick of time.  Some corn yellow, shoulder high and tasseled.  Some spots in fields do not have anything.  This will pull averages down.”

After floods, drought and heat, the next question for many fields is when will killing frost arrives.

“Need to be frost free till October 5,” was the hope in eastern South Dakota.

Source: Bryce Knorr, Farm Futures