Gro Intelligence x DTN Digital Yield Tour Kicks Off in Key US States

The Gro Intelligence x DTN Digital Yield Tour kicks off today, August 9, and runs through the week. The tour will assess conditions and yields in key growing areas prior to the US 2021 harvest, powered by Gro’s US Corn and US Soy Yield Models.

The tour begins in the West, in Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. While North Dakota has not traditionally been included in Gro’s US Corn Yield Forecast Model, this year, because of its growing significance in corn and soybean yield, Gro has created a separate model focused on North Dakota. Nebraska is projected to produce close to record-high corn yields at 187.6 bushels/acre, the second-highest since 192 b/acre in 2018. Gro is predicting slightly lower than the five-year average soybean yields for South Dakota and North Dakota at 44.6 b/acre and 34.1 b/acre, respectively.

Our next stops will include yield estimates from Kansas and Missouri on August 10, and on August 11, we will move into Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. On August 12, we will explore yield estimates in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, as well as Gro’s view on the USDA’s WASDE report coming out August 12. At the end of the tour, we will present a national overview.

Sign up for a free Gro account to get access to our full suite of crop monitors for the US or get weekly notifications sent right to your inbox with Gro’s Corn Alerts Service. You can also head to DTN’s website for on-the-ground reporting.

In addition to our yield forecast models, the tour leverages the environmental data available on the Gro Platform, including indicators of vegetative health and other factors that can affect crop yields. Gro’s yield models update continually, reflecting near-real-time data inputs, and therefore may differ from DTN’s written reports.

This year, Gro’s US Corn Yield Forecast Model includes our Gro Drought Index, the world’s first high-resolution global monitor of drought. The Gro Drought Index differs from traditional indices in that, beyond precipitation, it factors in other ecology-driven indicators that closely track the sequence of events leading to drought, giving a more accurate evaluation of the impact of both drought intensity and duration. As drought is currently ongoing in major US corn-growing regions, it will be particularly important to monitor this year as the tour continues.