The Western Leg of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour completed its stops in Nebraska, and the official results were released Tuesday evening.
The biggest concerns among tour scouts included the presence of Western bean cutworm and widespread hail damage.
In Nebraska, Pro Farmer Crop Tour scouts found corn fields had fewer ears, but the grain length and number of kernels around the cob were higher compared with the 2023 crop.
- Nebraska corn yield estimate: 173 bu. per acre, up 3.6% from 2023
- Ear count: 90.9, down 0.2% from last year
- Grain length: 7.03, up 3.4% from 2023
Nebraska’s pod counts were 1,172 in a 3’x3′ square, which is up 1% from 2023.
Chip Flory leads the Western Leg of the tour, and he said overall crop conditions were a much-welcomed change from last year.
The amount of Western bean cutworm pressure was noted by multiple tour scouts.
“I’ve been seeing ear worms on almost every stop of the tour, but they seem to be getting worse. The yield check on this field was 230.9 but I also calculated an average of 70 ear worms in a 30’ row,” wrote Ted Seifried about Butler County on X.
Tour scouts also noted areas of the state with extensive hail damage.
“There’s probably a 9- or 10-mile long area where we saw hail damage and there was nothing to sample,” Flory said of southern Nebraska.
This year’s tour will conclude August 22.
