The 2025 corn harvest in South Dakota was a bin buster. The 2026 harvest outlook is not.

Last year, just about everything went right with crop-growing conditions and the result was the state’s first billion-bushel corn crop. This year, a lot went wrong.

Late summer heat and skimpy moisture combined to put a 22 percent dent in the state’s bushel volume. Average yields are expected to be down 15 percent from last year, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s September crop report.

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The Heart of Everything1 month ago

VanderWal sees corn prices trending toward $5 a bushel. But even with yields of 190-200 bushels an acre, “it’s just a little bit over the cost of production.” I’m guessing the cost of diesel has accurately been accounted for in the cost of production, or in this case, the cost of harvesting. Weather has always impacted farm yields, but this administration has been a disaster for agriculture. Weather is just another blow.

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