Heat has been a theme across wide swaths of the Midwest and Northern Plains this summer. Record highs have been reached across the country, while some pockets of the region have endured significant rainfall and some severe thunderstorms with hail and tornadoes. Luckily, these events have been isolated. 

“Further north of us they have had a certain amount of hail, but from what I can tell it’s been pretty isolated. Unfortunately, we did have seven and a half inches of rain in 24 hours, and because we are flat, we did lose some beans that just flooded out and couldn’t recover,” said Mike McCranie, past Northern Soy Marketing board member who farms in South Dakota. Even with all the rain, however, he is hopeful about this year’s harvest.  

NSM chair Glen Groth, who farms near Ridgeway in southeast Minnesota, agrees with McCranie.  

Even with abundant rainfalls that might be excessive, some spots haven’t been as much as last year,” Groth said, “so we should be getting a good crop.”  

At this point in the season, many soybeans are blooming, and fungicides are being applied. The average amount of soybeans in bloom is 62% across all of the soy-growing states, and according to McCranie, they are beginning to move from R2 into R3. He has completed fungicides on his crops, while Groth is in the thick of it. 

According to the USDA NASS report for the week ending July 20, the majority of soybeans fall into the fair to good condition range, showing promise for the fall harvest. 

While managing expectations, Groth is staying optimistic.  

“I would say the crop’s looking really good,” Groth said. Some soybeans are planted a little bit later than last year, but they’ve come a long way, and I think there should be no expectation of a short crop anywhere in southern Minnesota anyway.”