During a harvest crop tour around Interstate 80 in the heart of the Corn Belt in Illinois, farmers expressed a range of expectations and sentiments about their crop prospects as the combines roll and the 2020 yield story unfolds. Many farmers are upbeat as they look to make up for a slow harvest progress start. A wide spring corn and soybean planting window and summer rainfall extremes were major variables that will likely influence overall yield. Farmers aren’t alone in their optimism; in its most recent Crop Production Report, USDA pegged national corn and soybean yields at record levels, though farmers and weather-watchers have their eyes to the sky for direction whether those yields will reach fruition. See more here.