LAFAYETTE — At 147 bushels per acre, Tippecanoe County's crop yield last fall was slightly under the state average of 150 bushels.
This year, farmers and agriculture experts think the county and region is on track to have a slightly above-average yield.
Local growing conditions have been good this year, according to Jim Mintert, Purdue University professor of agricultural economics. Mintert said all signs point to a strong harvest for corn and soybean. Moisture levels, nitrogen uptake and weather have all been favorable, said Matt Martin, a Kingston farmer and regional representative for Indiana Corn Marketing Council.
Disease and insect pressures on crops are also low for the entire region, Martin said.
"The corn is pretty darn happy now," he said, adding that such beneficial growing conditions might result in an early harvest.
In the next two weeks, however, corn crops enter a critical period. Martin is watching the weather closely. He is concerned about a heat wave that might move through Indiana next week. High heat during germination can impact the crop.
"You just have to wait it out," Martin said of the heat.