Harvest Update: Yields, Disease Pressure, and Fungicide Lessons

Harvest is well underway in our area, and early yield results have been solid, though not quite as strong as last year. On average, corn yields are coming in about 20–25 bushels lower than 2024. While that might sound disappointing, yields are still good by historical standards. We’ve just been spoiled with several years of record harvests.

So why the dip? The best explanation seems to be a combination of two factors:

• Southern Rust took off the top end yield potential.

• Excess water—we simply had more rainfall than we could handle. Generally, our region manages drought stress better than overabundance of water, and this year proved that point.

One of the biggest conversations this fall has been fungicide use. In side-by-side comparisons, treated fields outperformed untreated checks by as much as 40 bushels. We even ran trials with two applications of Veltyma fungicide, which added 14–25 more bushels compared to just one application.

Southern Rust won’t be this severe every season, but this year showed us that when you get 15 inches of rain in July paired with warm temperatures, fungicide can deliver a strong return on investment.

We still have soybean fungicide trials to evaluate, but even from aerial imagery we can already see differences in dry down where fungicide was applied.

As you plan for 2026, keep fungicide in mind. Early prepay opportunities usually come with good pricing and financing options, making it a smart time to set up your program.