AGRONOMISTS PREVIEW CROP CONDITIONS ACROSS THE CORN BELT

Key points:  

• The 2026 growing season has been a year of extremes.
• Wet weather challenged growers in Missouri, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana.
• Heat and dryness have tested Nebraska crops.

Ask farmers how the season is going, and you’re likely to get a wide range of answers. Some will say it’s been too dry. Others will say it’s been too wet. Still others might describe the season as beautiful or frustrating. It all depends on where they farm.

While that’s true to some degree most years, this season’s swings in weather and crop conditions have been especially dramatic. 

“It’s been the year of extremes,” says Brett Leahr, AgriGold field agronomist covering eastern Missouri and western Illinois. He’s one of three agronomists who shared their perspective on the season so far — and what it could mean for this fall’s crop prospects.

Wet weather slows Missouri and southern Illinois

This has been a long, crazy season for Missouri farmers, according to Leahr, whose eastern Missouri and western Illinois territory includes some of the best and worst growing conditions across the Corn Belt.

Conditions were ideal in Missouri during late March, and crops were planted fast. Then rain and cool temperatures moved in. “This led to replant after replant after replant for some farmers and slowed everything down,” Leahr says.

Southern Illinois experienced a similar pattern, with a strong start followed by a month of rain. Conditions have been better farther north in the state.

“Now, a lot of that early wet weather is showing its effects,” Leahr says, pointing to signs of nutrient deficiency like nitrogen firing, along with diseases such as gray leaf spot, Southern rust and a bit of tar spot.

Given how wet it has been, many were surprised disease pressure didn’t emerge sooner. Still, farmers have been proactive with fungicide applications.

“Crops look pretty good considering what they’ve been through,” Leahr says. But early saturation limited root development, and he’s concerned crops could run out of nitrogen by the end of the season. He’s also watching for increased crown rot and seedling disease in corn.

As a result, Leahr advises farmers to work with their local agronomist or trusted advisor to determine whether another fungicide application may be warranted for some fields and which hybrids should be prioritized for harvest. From there, farmers can keep a close eye on crops and be ready to harvest as soon as moisture hits a level they’re comfortable with this fall.

Soybeans look great now, but they also stagnated for a stretch amid wet weather and limited growing degree unit (GDU) accumulation early. “Soybeans have a lot of potential, but they’ll need August rains to finish strong,” Leahr says. He also warns early wetness could lead to red crown rot or sudden death syndrome.

Because soybeans have strong yield potential, Leahr says some farmers may want to consider a late insecticide pass, noting stink bugs have knocked bushels off late in past seasons. 

Heat and dryness test Nebraska crops

Heat and dryness have plagued Nebraska growers, but they’ve also received several nick-of-time rains. 

“Our planting season was very dry across most of my area,” says AgriGold Field Agronomist Mark Grundmayer. “There were farmers who had to irrigate their crop up, irrigate fertilizer in and irrigate herbicide in.”

The early heat and dryness turned the ground rock-hard, causing some stand establishment issues, he says. On three different occasions, Grundmayer says it was so dry farmers were about to give up, and then a nice rain would fall.

On the flip side, there’s been very little disease or insect pressure to date. “Southern rust and tar spot are still fresh in farmers’ minds after last year, and planes started flying mid-July,” Grundmayer says.

He’s pleased farmers are taking a proactive approach and encourages them to remain vigilant, scouting fields regularly for these fast-moving diseases. “If pressure starts to increase and weather looks favorable, consider applying a fungicide with multiple modes of action,” Grundmayer advises.

The erratic emergence patterns were evident across Nebraska as corn started to tassel, and Grundmayer is concerned that late-July heat could take a toll on sandy dryland acres. But in general, he says Nebraska’s corn crop “looks pretty good.”

Corn has the fertility it needs to finish strong, but the wild card will always be Mother Nature. “If we get good, favorable growing conditions until black layer, we’ll be in good shape,” Grundmayer predicts. If hybrids have what they need to flex kernel depth, that could help offset some of the thinner stands.

Soybean crop prospects also look good if the weather cooperates, Grundmayer says, noting that the crop is generally “made” in August. He encourages farmers with irrigation to stay ahead of soybeans’ peak water demand in August.

He also encourages farmers to scout for diseases as well as insects. “We’ve had a few tent caterpillars as well as thistle caterpillars. Hopefully, the second generation of bean leaf beetles will be limited. We’ve also seen a few Japanese beetles in both corn and soybeans.”

His final piece of advice is to remain vigilant, scouting corn and soybeans all the way to harvest. “Don’t quit until we’re done.”

Ohio and Indiana corn searches for a strong finish

The growing season got off to a strong start in the far eastern Corn Belt states of Ohio and Indiana, but cool, wet weather moved in, slowing crop development and leading to replants in some areas, says AgriGold Field Agronomist Derrek Barnes. 

“The crop looks pretty good given everything it’s been through,” he says, but some of the unevenness and early stress is currently being masked. He suspects scouts on the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour will be surprised by some of the holes and zeroes they encounter in the eastern Corn Belt.

Much of the heavy rain preceded side dressing. Even so, Barnes is concerned the corn crop could run out of nitrogen.

“When you split the stalks, you can see some of the stress. It just doesn’t have the reserves we’d hope for,” Barnes continues. “Corn has the opportunity to finish strong, but we’ll need to protect the crop.”

That might include a fungicide application, Barnes says, noting the arrival of gray leaf spot and tar spot in corn. He also encourages farmers to be proactive, staying ahead of any disease pressure to maintain crop health and capitalize on grain fill.

“Make sure you’re out walking your fields and don’t be afraid to harvest your corn crop early this year,” Barnes says. “It’s important to reach out to your AgriGold team — we can help you decide which fields need to be harvested first.”

In soybean fields, you might see some septoria leaf spot (brown spot) and frogeye leaf spot, though Barnes notes fields are generally clean and the crop seems to have a lot of yield potential — especially if good, timely rains fall in August.

“Some farmers are going to have some of the best yields they’ve ever had,” Barnes says. “But there are also going to be a lot of farmers with average to poor crops.” The season has run the gamut.

“Don’t be afraid to reach out to an AgriGold field agronomist, whether you’d like to better understand our products or what’s going on in your fields,” Barnes says. “I love getting out in the field with customers.”