Evaluating the 2023 corn and soybean crop in Minnesota and the Midwest: Record or Not?

In this episode, CropCast hosts Dave Nicolai and Seth Naeve visited with Mark Bernard, independent crop consultant and Tom Hoverstad, Researcher at the Southern Research and Outreach Center about the current condition of the Minnesota corn and soybean crop as we enter the month of September. Tom provided a review of the 2023 weather effects upon this year’s corn and soybean crops in the Waseca and southern Minnesota, while Mark reviewed the findings of the recent August Pro Farmer Crop Tour (Farm Journal) held in the Midwest. Mark participated in the eastern segment of the tour where he participated in crop yield assessments in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. Tom highlighted the effects of the fourth driest crop growing season since 1915 at Waseca and the yield and corn stalk quality outlook for the fall of 2023. Mark provided a re-cap of the yield estimates of both the national and Minnesota corn and soybean crops as well as how the procedures were used to make these estimates. In addition, our guests discussed the challenges of this year’s corn and soybean harvest as influenced by poor stalk quality, soybean stem diseases, dry soil conditions and weather challenges.