The Final Day of the Crop Tour
On Wednesday, the Pro Farmer had the very first sample that ever went over 300 bushels per acre. It was taken in NW Iowa and the record lasted for only one day. On our route through SW Minnesota, we made a stop and happened to hit a field that had 20″ rows. Our scouts went out into the field and returned a bit later with three ears of corn. Once I saw the size, I had a suspicion that this yield would be greater than 300 bushels per acre and I was right. The sample graded out at about 324. We decided to take another sample in a different part of the field and this sample graded out at 357.
I am used to seeing samples this high where I live (Benton County, Washington has averaged 280 for a crop year), but not the Midwest crop tour. I talked to agronomist later that night and he indicated that 20″ rows are similar to 30″ rows from about 15-20 years ago. He thinks to get the yields in the future we will go to these narrower rows, but it will take time.
The soybeans yesterday looked good and I think that USDA’s soybean number is not too far off.
I always go out on a limb (usually it gets sawed off later on) and predict the final corn crop average for the year. USDA is currently at slightly higher than 168 and I am predicting a final 2015 corn crop yield average of 164.5. It will take a few months to see if I am correct, but in the meantime, we have a lot of weather that can still either make or break the crop. We will keep you posted.
Paul Neiffer, CPA
Paul Neiffer is a certified public accountant and business advisor specializing in income taxation, accounting services, and succession planning for farmers and agribusiness processors. Paul is a principal with CliftonLarsonAllen in Walla Walla, Washington, as well as a regular speaker at national conferences and contributor at agweb.com. Raised on a farm in central Washington, he has been immersed in the ag industry his entire life, including the last 30 years professionally. Paul and his wife purchase an 180 acre ranch in 2016 and enjoy keeping it full of animals.
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