Strong yield potential emerges on the 2026 Ohio Crop Tour

The biggest story of the 2026 Ohio Crop Tour may be how well the crop has recovered from a challenging start to the growing season. While there were plenty of examples of late planting, replanting, uneven stands, and fields still a long way from maturity, the overall picture across the tour was one of good yield potential.

The 2026 Ohio Crop Tour, sponsored by Field Leader, a project of the Ohio Soybean Checkoff, covered fields across the northern and southern portions of Ohio over four days. Scouts walked corn and soybean fields, assessed plant populations, growth stages, ear and pod development, disease and insect pressure, and calculated yield estimates.

The tour found considerable variability, particularly in the North Leg, but the general trend was positive. Corn yield estimates averaged 201.4 bushels per acre on the North Leg and 212.1 bushels per acre on the South Leg. Soybean estimates averaged 55 bushels per acre in the north and 54.4 bushels per acre in the south.

That puts the combined average of the reported field estimates at approximately 207.3 bushels per acre for corn and 54.7 bushels per acre for soybeans.

The numbers should not be viewed as a prediction for the final statewide average. They represent the specific fields sampled by the tour and, in several cases, the crop still has a considerable portion of the growing season remaining.

The 2026 tour also demonstrated the tremendous range in crop development across Ohio.
Some early-planted corn fields were well into grain fill and showing excellent ear development. Other fields, particularly in the northern part of the state, were still at blister, silking, or even earlier stages. Soybeans ranged from R3 and R4 fields that were still adding flowers and pods to R5 and R5/R6 fields that were nearing the end of seed fill.

That difference in development was largely tied to the difficult planting season.

Dustin Converse, a Union County farmer and one of the scouts on the North Leg of the tour, said the May-planted corn provided a good example of how much the crop has overcome.

“I would say May-planted corn has been a common date of some issues, whether it was replanted or even first crop, second crop conversations,” Converse said. “It’s really pretty good considering the challenges this spring. It’s not ideal. We’ve got some stand issues and things like that. But really, for what we’ve been through, it looks pretty good out there.”

North Leg
The northern leg showed some of the widest range in crop development. Given the development stage in the Seneca County corn, ear fill was difficult to determine, however those that were more mature had good fill. Overall, it was a good field of corn. The May 15-planted soybeans had some insect feeding but looked pretty uniform.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 215, Soybeans – 55

Hancock County also produced strong observations. The corn had good ear size and kernel depth, although tar spot and tip-back were present. The soybeans were beautiful. It was a clean and tall field, planted on April 15th.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 237, Soybeans – 60

Putnam County soybeans, planted June 3, had healthy plants and good pod development, but the late planting date left plenty of uncertainty about how much yield could ultimately be added. The April-planted corn had a population of 32,000 plants per acre.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 203, Soybeans – 45

Van Wert County’s corn had excellent ear fill and good pollination. The field’s biggest concern was lodging. Soybeans in the field were described as an excellent field with little insect, disease or weed pressure.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 220, Soybeans – 60

The corn in Mercer County was late-planted and was between silking and blister stage. The canopy height on the soybeans was 42 inches and the crop was planted in 15-inch rows.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 186, Soybeans – 50

The corn crop in Auglaize County had a uniform stand and an early planting date of April 21. However, hot and dry conditions during pollination reduced kernel set, showing jumbled kernels and tip dieback. The soybean field, planted on the same day, also showed strong potential.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 185, Soybeans – 60

Corn in Hardin County was late-planted, in the beginning of June. The stand was consistent, but the crop was young at blister stage. The soybean field was planted in mid-April, and though the canopy was a little short and the beans per node were lower, the plants had exceptional branching.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 199, Soybeans – 60

Wyandot County produced one of the strongest corn fields of the northern tour. The mid-May-planted field, which included replant acres, had a population of 40,000 plants per acre. Soybeans were still putting on new growth.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 263, Soybeans – 55

In Henry County, the tour found a clean, even stand of corn at the blister stage with a population of 32,000 plants per acre. Soybeans in the same county also showed solid potential.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 225, Soybeans – 55

Day 2 of the Ohio Crop Tour headed northeast. Richland County soybeans were at R5 with four to five pods per node and three beans per pod. The corn in this field was tall, clean and excellent. The ears were full, showing that there were no pollination issues.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 210, Soybeans – 55

In Wayne and Ashland counties, the corn was simply too young for the tour team to make a reliable yield estimate. The Wayne County field was still at R1, or silking, while Ashland County corn was late-planted and still pollinating.
Yield Estimates: Too early; no estimates made

Holmes County had low fertility concerns, tar spot and tip-back. The soybean field was in excellent condition, with new growth still occurring, which was particularly encouraging for the area.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 159, Soybeans – 55

At the same time, Knox County produced a uniform corn stand with strong ears and no significant pollination issues. The soybean field was at an excellent R5 stage.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 223, Soybeans – 60

Morrow County’s corn was affected by flooding, deer damage, skips and inconsistent stands. The soybean field was in the beginning seed stage, R5, with flowers still being set. With adequate rain to finish out the season, there was plenty of yield potential remaining in the beans.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 144, Soybeans – 55

Crawford County corn was affected by soil crusting that reduced emergence, and the field had to be rotary hoed. The soybeans were planted June 4, with a good stand and healthy plants.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 151, Soybeans – 45

Taylor Dill of the Ohio Soybean Council saw significant potential in the late-planted beans despite their young growth stage.

“We had some June-planted beans throughout the North Leg of the tour and those beans were at about R4,” Dill said. “That’s when your pods are starting to elongate and don’t have any seeds quite yet, so a long way to go on this crop. But it was really clean. Not a lot of disease pressure and only a little bit of grasshopper or Japanese beetle feeding, which is pretty normal, especially for right now. A lot of great potential for pods or a little bit more per node.”

Disease pressure was generally limited across the North Leg. Gray Leaf Spot, Northern Corn Leaf Blight and tar spot appeared in some fields, but severe disease was not widespread. Insects were similarly limited, with some Japanese beetle, grasshopper and other feeding noted.

South Leg
The South Leg generally showed a more advanced crop and, in many cases, stronger yield potential.
The tour started in Madison County, where the corn had strong potential and the soybeans continued to develop.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 214, Soybeans – 50

In the Delaware County corn, the team noticed possible hail or mechanical damage that occurred earlier in the season. The beans were still flowering and putting on pods in some places.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 195, Soybeans – 55

Despite the first earworm sighting in Union County, the corn and soybeans continued to show solid potential.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 191, Soybeans – 55

Logan County corn had slightly smaller ears and population, while the soybeans looked great.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 182, Soybeans – 45

Shelby County corn continued to show strong potential, while the April-planted soybeans were among the better fields observed.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 211, Soybeans – 60

Champaign County corn was affected by a significant storm that left approximately 70% of the field down and caused hail damage. Despite the damage, the soybean field continued to show strong potential.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 186, Soybeans – 60

Clark County provided one of the most surprising observations of the tour. Despite significant disease and mold throughout the corn field, strong populations and consistently good ears resulted in a strong yield estimate.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 246, Soybeans – 60

Greene County produced one of the strongest corn fields of the tour. The field had an excellent population and ears consistently measuring 18 to 20 kernels around with upper-30s kernel counts.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 266, Soybeans – 45

The Clinton County corn field was a respectable one. Most sampled ears were 16 kernels around and averaged 34 in length. Plenty of tip-back and some zippering was noted. Very little disease pressure and excellent kernel depth contributed to the field’s strong yield potential.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 210, Soybeans – 60

The least developed corn field of the south leg’s stops was in Highland County. With that said, the current crop condition shows considerable potential if the field receives what it needs to finish the season. Soybeans were impressive as well.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 219, Soybeans – 65

The southern leg continued to produce strong numbers into the final day.
Fayette County corn had a population of 33,000 plants per acre, strong ears and no notable disease, insect pressure or tip-back. The accompanying soybean field, planted April 14, was heavily podded.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 248, Soybeans – 60

Pickaway County corn had strong ear development, with many ears measuring 16 to 18 kernels around and averaging 37 kernels per row. Some Gray Leaf Spot and stem rot were noted.
Yield Estimates: Corn – 223, Soybeans – 55

Bennett Musselman, a Pickaway County farmer and president of the Ohio Soybean Association, said the consistency of the corn on the South Leg was one of the biggest surprises of the tour.

“Our lowest yields were higher than I expected,” Musselman said. “In years past, some of these numbers would have been our highest yields that you’ve seen on the tour. Overall, the consistency on the corn crop, was shocking.”

The final day continued that trend. Ross, Licking and Perry counties all showed solid crop potential, while Muskingum County was lower because of skips and doubles that reduced the effective population. The soybean field there was still at R4, leaving additional growing season ahead.

See county-by-county results

Disease and insects

One of the more notable observations across both legs was the relatively low level of disease and insect pressure. There were exceptions. Gray Leaf Spot, Northern Corn Leaf Blight and tar spot were observed in multiple corn fields. The Clark County field had considerable disease and mold, while the Shelby County corn had significant Gray Leaf Spot.

Soybeans were generally clean, with only scattered concerns such as possible Sudden Death Syndrome, Downy Mildew and minor nutrient issues.

Scott Metzger, a Ross County farmer and president of the American Soybean Association, said the lack of disease on the South Leg was surprising considering the weather Ohio experienced this summer.

“I was a little surprised with how low all the disease pressure was on everything. Beans and corn both, considering we’ve had quite a bit of rain and a lot of heat this summer,” Metzger said. “I look forward to a good fall and seeing how close we were on our yield predictions.”

Insect pressure was also generally manageable. Japanese beetles and grasshoppers were found in several soybean fields, but feeding was generally light to moderate. Corn fields were mostly insect-free.

For now, the 2026 Ohio Crop Tour points to a crop with plenty of potential and a strong reminder that, after a difficult start, Ohio farmers have a crop that has made considerable progress. Now growers will wait to see how much of that potential makes it into the grain bin.