Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour South Dakota Results

With coverage from the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour we get more from Leslie Smith.

On Day one crop scouts sampled fields from north of Sioux Falls, South Dakota south to Grand Island, Nebraska. With the most mature corn mature corn crop in years, scouts saw more extensive harvesting of corn for silage in South Dakota and Nebraska. In meeting with area farmers Monday night in Grand Island, Pro Farmer Editor Chip Flory is hearing silage yields are averaging four to five ton per acre. That's two to three ton per acre lower than a normal year.

At this point the silage market is suppressed because of the amount of earlier chopping taking place. For Day two of the crop tour, the western leg travels south of Grand Island to sample the crop in southeast Nebraska. But at this point it hard to tell just how much of the state's corn crop has already harvested for silage.

The South Dakota corn and soybean crop has been hit hard by this summer's devasting drought. On Day one, scouts collected 45 samples in the southeastern part of the state. Pro Farmer Editor Chip Flory says stress showed in every aspect of this year's corn crop.

Overall, Pro Farmer has found South Dakota's corn yield is down 47 percent over a year ago with a yield averaging 74 bushels an acre. Additionally Pro Farmer has South Dakota's pod count also down 47 percent.

Even if the region would get rain very soon Flory say he wouldn't add any pods, Rain will help fill out the pods already in place, but he says South Dakota's soybean crop has simply run out of time to increase the state's yield outlook.

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