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.

Many growers suffered through a growing season that was anything but a fairy tale this year. But as harvest slowly advances farmers reporting Feedback From The Field last week described conditions right out of Goldilocks: Too dry and too wet for many, but for some just about right.

Many growers suffered through a growing season that was anything but a fairy tale this year. But as harvest slowly advances farmers reporting Feedback From The Field last week described conditions right out of Goldilocks: Too dry and too wet for many, but for some just about right.

Estimates of corn yields continue to increase as more results come in, with the average last week for the first time topping USDA’s Sept. 12 estimate. But the verdict on soybeans fell and ratings for both crops overall was lower. While the percentage of corn rated good or excellent increased, so did the amount for poor and very poor, reflecting yields that ranged from nearly nothing to 220 bushels per acre due to wildly variable conditions.

A flash drought that scorched the Southeast extended hot, dry weather into parts of the eastern Midwest, bringing a disappointing end to what was already a challenging year.

“Soybeans have burned up from no rain for 7 weeks,” said a Georgia grower putting yields at just 15 bushels an acre.

“Ninety-eight degrees for months on end, since early May,” added a farmer in South Carolina. “Torched nonirrigated corn, torched the cotton and finally torched the soybeans.”

Lack of rain was also an issue further north. A grower south of Indianapolis rated corn fair and soybeans poor.

“Late planted corn hurt yields along with a dry July, August and September,” was the report. “Dry August and September hurt pod fill in beans.”

On the other side of the I-70 corridor moisture was also the issue – way too much of it.

“Late planting, too much rain, most beans replanted and damaged because of more rains,” was the post from southwest Illinois. “Harvest is slow to start, dry down is extremely slow and more rains forecasted. Worse year ever!”

“Too much rain,” added another from northern Illinois.  “Seven inches in last week. WET.”

Much above normal precipitation extended into the Dakotas, where killing frost is a threat later this week. Further south in the western Corn Belt yields look better but wet conditions were also slowing down harvest too.

“Got a half day of bean combining before a week of rain,” said a farmer from western Iowa. “Over 12 inches in the last 30 gays. Beans are very good if we can harvest.”

Source: Bryce Knorr, Farm Futures