As we move into August, growers across the country are watching their fields closely — and so are the agronomists who work alongside them every day. We caught up with four agronomists, each of them representing different regions, to get their take on crop conditions, what's showing up in fields, which products and practices are standing out, and what growers should be focused on as harvest approaches.

What's the overall story in your region right now?

Mitch Larson, Market Development Agronomist (Eastern Iowa):

Overall, most growers across my geography are optimistic about their crop's potential. Warmer weather has pushed corn pollination pace slightly ahead of schedule, and soybeans are entering the critical R3 stage. Rainfall has been uneven. While many have received enough moisture through July to stay on track, there are significant portions of the state in need of rain, and some areas who have experienced far too much of it.

Tim Cymbaluk, Market Development Agronomist (Northwest, North Dakota, Montana):

The biggest story is still variability. As crops move into grain fill, the focus shifts from building yield to protecting it. The next few weeks will be important for grain fill, seed size, disease management and setting fields up for the smoothest harvest possible.

Out west, the fields that got rain and a strong start are thriving, while others are showing stress from drought, compaction or uneven stands. 

Farther east, it’s been a different story. Some areas went into the season with good fall moisture and then caught early rains or heavier rain events, so instead of drought stress being the main concern, there are fields with drowned-out spots, uneven stands, yellow areas, IDC in soybeans and places where the crop just never got fully on track.

Nathan Mellendorf, Market Development Agronomist (Northeast, Coastal, South):

Most corn has gone through pollination, and pollination appears to be successful. Kernel counts are adequate and the weather forecast indicates good grain fill. Daily highs in the mid-80’s while nighttime temperatures fall into the 60’s. This will allow for good photosynthate production during the day while minimizing nighttime respiration.

Soybeans are well into reproduction and moving into R5/R6 (grain fill). Fungicide applications are wrapping up. Overall, conditions are variable. Some fields look excellent, while others have been impacted by excess moisture and ponding. This leads to holes in fields that can impact final yield while opening opportunities for weed establishment.

Wheat yields were average to below average, and wet conditions made double-cropping soybeans difficult to impossible in places.

Mark Glady, Lead Market Development Agronomist (Minnesota, North Dakota, Northwest):

Overall, the crops look strong. Timely planting and well-timed rainfall have supported good crop development without the widespread drowned-out areas we saw last year. A cooler spring caused some uneven emergence, but differences have remained relatively minor.

What are you noticing most in fields?

Mitch Larson:

We're seeing early reports of northern corn leaf blight, gray leaf spot and isolated cases of tar spot in Central Iowa. In wetter areas, we're also monitoring nutrient deficiencies, particularly nitrogen, sulfur and boron, where heavy rainfall may have caused leaching.

Tim Cymbaluk:

The biggest thing that stands out to me is just how uneven some fields are. There are areas that look good, and then in that same field you can get into edges, lighter ground, compacted zones, drowned-out spots or later-planted areas that are showing quite a bit more stress. I'm watching for late-season diseases, insects, nutrient stress and especially weed escapes. Those late escapes are easy to overlook this time of year, but they can still hurt harvestability and add a lot of seed back into the field for next year. 

In soybeans, aphids, white mold, and late-season waterhemp or kochia are key concerns. In small grains and pulses, I'd be watching for late foliar disease, Ascochyta in pulses, grasshoppers, aphids, lygus, wheat stem sawfly, and any weeds that are going to complicate harvest or put more seed into the system.

Nathan Mellendorf:

Disease pressure has remained low so far, but conditions are favorable for it to increase. Even though we are pushing through grain fill in both corn and soybeans it is important to continue to monitor disease progression and insect pressure. Most fields are clean despite herbicide timing challenges earlier this season.

Nutritionally speaking, plants that are not water-stressed appear to be fine. However, I would still encourage growers to tissue sample. It’s a proactive approach to managing nutrition not only here in 2026 but tissue sampling can also be a roadmap to fertility planning in 2027.

Mark Glady:

We're beginning to see early foliar diseases like rust and northern corn leaf blight. Nutrient management has generally been strong, so the focus now shifts to protecting the crop from disease during tasseling and early grain fill.

Have any products or management practices caught your attention so far? 

Mitch Larson:

Early-season stress management products stood out this year in my geography. In-furrow plant growth regulators, starter fertilizers and biologicals have noticeably improved early vigor, and seed treatments continue to perform well in soybeans. 

Tim Cymbaluk:

Our team is testing a new innovation to help address common chloride deficiencies in small grains. In the tissue samples that we've pulled across North Dakota and Montana over the last 10 to 20 years, a large percentage have come back deficient in chloride, so this product, MAX-IN^® Cereals, will be exciting to have to combat these deficiencies. 

Beyond products, the biggest difference I've seen is among growers who had an effective pre-emerge herbicide. Where pre-emerge programs were activated by rainfall, weed control has been significantly better all season.

Nathan Mellendorf:

We have noticed that in both the Answer Plot^® locations and commercial fields, starter fertilizer has made a big difference this year. Pairing a high-quality starter fertilizer with EDTA chelated zinc and Ascend^2® plant growth regulator has helped corn overcome cool, wet planting conditions, leading to faster development and stronger, more robust root systems. 

Mark Glady:

A product that’s showing up very nicely this year is Ascend^® ST3^™ seed treatment. We have done several dozen stand counts and emergence ratings across Answer Plot locations and grower fields, and we’ve consistently seen stronger emergence, averaging just over 4,000 more plants per acre than untreated seed when using Ascend ST3.

What's one thing growers in your region should be scouting for or paying close attention to over the next couple of weeks? 

Mitch Larson:

Now is the time to be vigilant around fungicide strategies in both corn and soybeans. The past few years have shown the impact that fungicides can have, but to optimize that fungicide investment, we really need to focus on the details to make the application successful. It's also a good time to evaluate reproductive-stage nutrient needs, especially boron and manganese. 

Tim Cymbaluk:

I'd remind growers not to stop scouting just because we're into August. There are still things that can sneak up on us and have an impact on grain fill, harvestability or the next season. Over the next couple weeks, I'd be watching for soybean late foliar diseases, white mold where the canopy is thick, corn leaf disease like Goss's wilt, Cercospora in sugarbeets, grasshoppers, pulse crop insects, wheat stem sawfly and weed escapes. For growers planning winter annual crops like winter canola or winter wheat, now is also the time to start preparing fields and looking at moisture, residue, seedbed conditions, fertility and weed control so we aren't trying to make those decisions at the last minute. 

Nathan Mellendorf:

Keep monitoring disease and insect pressure. If pest pressure reaches economic thresholds, timely fungicide or insecticide applications may be necessary to protect yield. The concern with late season pests is their impact on grain weight. Grain weight is the final leg of our yield components and will have a direct impact on crop yield and quality. 

Mark Glady:

The main thing I feel growers should pay attention to in the next couple of weeks is foliar corn diseases. Based on the history in our region over the past two growing seasons, we've had very high levels of southern rust in certain areas and substantial levels of tar spot. It's going to be very important that growers scout their fields and make timely fungicide applications as we enter the grain fill period to protect those plants from those diseases. 

I describe plant leaves as being like solar panels. The more surface area you have on a solar panel, the more sunlight you capture and the more electricity you can produce. The more leaf surface area you have on a plant, the more photosynthesis you’ll enable to create sugars and build yield. Anything that destroys leaf surface area, such as foliar diseases, insect feeding or physical damage, cuts down on that ability to produce yield. Applying a fungicide helps keep leaf surface area healthy and fully functioning.

What's one key takeaway or insight you want to share to help growers in your region before we move into harvest?

Mitch Larson:

Late July and August are critical times for row crops. Stresses typically begin to add up as corn and soybeans reach their critical reproductive stages, and that can limit yield potential. Ask yourself: "Is there anything limiting my crop today? Is there anything I can do to help it?"

Tim Cymbaluk:

Finish strong and protect the yield that's out there. We are seeing a lot of field variability, but there are a lot of good-looking crops across the region and still plenty of yield potential to protect. This is the time of year when the little things can still matter.  

Keep walking fields, keep an eye on the late-season issues that matter, and stay engaged all the way to the finish line. At the same time, take notes on what worked well, what could be improved, where any weak spots showed up and what we want to adjust for next year. The goal now is to protect the crop we have, finish it out the best we can, and go into harvest with some confidence and a good plan.

Nathan Mellendorf:

There is excellent yield potential across many acres, and there is an opportunity to capitalize on building more bushels with fungicide and/or insecticides. Keeping corn and soybeans healthy through grain fill with timely disease and insect management can help maximize final yield.

Mark Glady:

We have a good crop coming with good yield potential. Allow the crop to finish completely and achieve optimum yields by making sure we get the correct crop protection products applied or even investing in a PGR or biological product to tank mix with your fungicide to help the crop finish strong.  

Thanks to Mitch Larson, Tim Cymbaluk, Nathan Mellendorf and Mark Glady for sharing their insights as the season moves toward harvest. Stay tuned for more updates and talk to your CROPLAN local retail seed expert for more local insights recommendations. 

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© 2026 WinField United. Important: Before use always read and follow label instructions. Crop performance is dependent on several factors many of which are beyond the control of WinField United, including without limitation, soil type, pest pressures, agronomic practices and weather conditions. Growers are encouraged to consider data from multiple locations, over multiple years and to be mindful of how such agronomic conditions could impact results. Answer Plot, Ascend, CROPLAN, MAX-IN, ST3 and WinField are trademarks of WinField United. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.</sub>