Soybean crop will be among the best

Chatham-Kent is expected to lead the province in soybean yields per acre, while Huron County is estimated to have the highest corn yield, according to a survey conducted by the Great Lakes Grain co-operative. The organization is estimating that Chatham-Kent will produce 58.6 bushels of soybeans per acre, followed by Norfolk-Haldimand at 56.8 bushels per acre.

Elgin County has an estimated soybean yield of 54.5 bushels per acre, which is tied with Middlesex County.

Lambton County is expected to yield 51.9 bushels per acre and Essex is projected at 47.7 bushels per acre.

For corn, Huron County has an estimated yield of 198.8 bushels per acre, followed by Middlesex at 194.2 and Chatham-Kent at 193.4.

Elgin County is expected to have 179.5 bushels per acre, Lambton is at 178.8 and Essex is at 161.5. Great Lakes Grain is also predicting a record soybean yield in Ontario of 54 bushels per acre. “The weather concerns of the spring slowly gave way to favourable growing conditions in the later stages of July and August,” the Chatham-based co-operative wrote in a news release this week. “We certainly had our doubts early in the spring of just what kind of growing season and final results we would experience.”

Row spacing has explained the estimated yields this year, rather than planting dates, the organization stated.