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Agronomist says yields are surprisingly good despite disease, insect pressure

An agronomist with Ohio-based Maria Stein Grain says yields in the Eastern Corn Belt are above-average despite less than ideal conditions.

“For corn I’ve seen whole fields average 240, 250, and even 230,” he says. “when I look at soybeans we’ve been seeing 70, 80, 85 bushel soybeans and I’m not saying in spots, I’m saying whole fields.”

Bill Mullen says soybeans yields are surprising because many farmers reported disease and insect pressure.

“Frogeye leaf spot, cercospora leaf spot, pod and stem blight, and a lot of reports of moldy, shriveled beans and even sprouted beans in pods,” he says. “A lot of that is due to stink bugs.”

He tells Brownfield he has also seen gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight, and stalk quality issues in corn.

Mullen says farmers continue to report good yields even as they face harvest delays because of wet conditions.

Audio: Bill Mullen, Maria Stein Grain