Nebraska Corn Yield Falls 9% to 163.61 BPA as Ear Count Hits Lowest Since 2013
Updated
Updated · Rural Radio Network · Aug 19
Nebraska Corn Yield Falls 9% to 163.61 BPA as Ear Count Hits Lowest Since 2013
3 articles · Updated · Rural Radio Network · Aug 19
Summary
Pro Farmer pegged Nebraska corn at 163.61 bushels per acre after a day and a half of field checks, down 8.85% from last year and 5.6% below the three-year average.
Seven straight nights above 72 degrees, heat stress and drought cut ear counts to the tour's lowest since 2013, while dryland fields in northeast Nebraska showed notable tip-back and shorter grain length.
Northern rootworm beetles added pollination risk in some fields by clipping silks, though disease pressure was lighter than a year ago, with limited southern rust compared with last summer's outbreak.
Soybeans looked steadier: pod counts averaged 1,219.6 in a 3-by-3-foot area, down 9.5% from last year but only 0.6% below the three-year average, with recent rain seen helping the crop finish.
The tour moved into western Iowa on Wednesday, where scouts said ear counts would again be central as they test expectations for a potentially record corn crop.
With early 2026 crop tour results exposing severe heat and storm damage, will the final harvest completely upend USDA's initial yield projections?
Despite alarming corn tipback and disease reports, could resilient soybeans and unexpected Chinese demand quietly stabilize this year's volatile agricultural markets?