Searing summer dries up chances for record soybean yield

MAKING PROGRESS — Rice being harvested in Lonoke County, Arkansas, on Sept. 6, 2026. | UADA photo by Trapper Padgett

By MARY HIGHTOWER | University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

Flat pods and seeds that never matured are throwing doubt on predictions of a record Arkansas soybean crop, said Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

The September Crop Production report put Arkansas state average yield at a record 57 bushels per acre. Soybeans were 72% harvested, according to Monday’s Crop Progress report from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The harvest was well ahead of the 46% five-year average and “moving at the fastest pace on record,” said Scott Stiles, extension economics program associate for UADA.

“Soybean harvest has not slowed down but yields on many of the fields are lower than expected,” Ross said on Monday. “I’ve walked dozens of fields over the past two months with reports of flat pods and pods with aborted seed that did not mature. 

“We are still investigating the cause, but it appears that the extreme high temperatures we observed during July, August and September are a major factor,” Ross said. “Other factors, including genetics and diseases, seem to also be contributing to the lower-than-average yields in soybean. 

“Many farmers have called saying that their soybean crop looked like 70-80 bushels per acre, but they are harvesting 30-40 bushels,” he said. “We are continuing to gather data and figure out exactly what caused the low yields. 

“We will not reach the record 57-bushel-per-acre estimate,” Ross said.

Other crops

“We are winding down fast this year for the grains. Corn and rice are practically done,” Stiles said.

Rice was 95% harvested, well ahead of the 82% five-year average. Corn was 99% harvested, compared to the 96% five-year average.

Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for UADA, said that for the fourth consecutive year, Arkansas rice has seen a harvest window of abnormally hot, dry weather that left much of the crop drying down quicker than it could be harvested.

Cotton harvest — 30% complete — was also rolling ahead of the five-year average of 21%. Peanut harvest was estimated at 7%, which is behind the average pace of 14%, Stiles said.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the UADA, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu.