Scouting from the Combine

With harvest quickly approaching, most of us are focused on making sure the combine is ready, the grain cart is greased, and trucks are staged. It's easy to fall into the mindset that harvest is just about getting the crop out and into the bin. But harvest is also one of the best times to scout your fields. You're moving across every acre, seeing more of the crop than at any other point in the year.

What you notice during harvest can tell you just as much—if not more—than what's on the yield monitor. The observations you make now will become the foundation for next year's management decisions and ultimately your profitability.

What to Look For

While yield is important, harvest offers a front-row seat to agronomic clues that can guide next year's decisions. The key is knowing what to look for and understanding what those observations mean for future management.

1. Standability Assessment

• Are stalks holding up or breaking down early?
• Weak stalks may point to late-season stress, nutrient imbalances, or disease pressure.

2. Ear Fill Evaluation

• Are tips fully developed or are you seeing tip-back?
• This often indicates stress during pollination or grain fill, highlighting where fertility or timing fell short.

3. Field Uniformity

• Are ears and plant height consistent across passes?
• Variability can be tied back to soil structure, compaction, drainage, or nutrient stratification.

4. Disease Presence

• Even if yields are strong, leaf disease or stalk rot observed at harvest are signals to adjust management.
• Document disease locations for targeted treatment strategies next season.

Why Documenting Now Matters

The challenge with post-harvest reflection is memory fades. By December, it's hard to recall exactly which parts of a field had late-season disease pressure or lodging issues. Taking a few minutes during harvest to snap a photo, drop a pin, or jot down notes can give you an accurate record that's much more valuable than trying to reconstruct it months later.

These observations, combined with yield maps and soil data, create a powerful foundation for next year's plans. The investment of time during harvest pays dividends in more precise management decisions.

A Simple Cab Checklist

1. Take 3–5 photos per field of ears, stalks, or problem spots.
2. Mark areas on your yield monitor that consistently underperform and flag them for deeper soil or tissue testing later.
3. Write down quick impressions—lodging, compaction signs, ear development—while they're fresh in your mind.
4. Compare across hybrids/varieties to see which held up better under this season's conditions.

Turning Observations into Action

• Fine-tune hybrid placement based on performance under specific field conditions.
• Identify nutrient deficiencies that tissue or sap analysis may have missed.
• Target biologicals or residue management where they'll make the biggest difference.
• Build confidence in what's working—and cut out what isn't delivering returns.

The best time to learn from your crop is when you're bringing it in. Every observation you make now is an investment in next year's success. Don't let that opportunity pass by while you're focused solely on getting grain in the bin.