Crop Watch: Soybean yields rise despite late-season dryness -Braun

(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a market analyst for Reuters)

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Soy yields increase in Nebraska, eastern Iowa and North Dakota

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Six of 22 Crop Watch fields now harvested, two more in progress

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Harvest pace should be brisk this week with widespread dryness

By Karen Braun

NAPERVILLE, Illinois, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Yield expectations for U.S. Crop Watch soybeans notched their largest boost of the season this week as harvest results suggest many fields may have held their potential amid several weeks of dry weather.

The 11-field, average soybean yield score rose to 3.41 from 3.32 a week earlier. The eastern Iowa soybeans were harvested over the weekend with a final rating of 4.25, a quarter-point above pre-harvest expectations.

Soy scores also rose in North Dakota and Nebraska. Harvest is in progress in Minnesota and Indiana, where the respective scores of 3 and 5 are predicted to hold.

The Indiana soy yields are slightly better than what the producer was thinking four weeks ago, though the field has maintained a 5 all season.

The Nebraska corn field was harvested on Wednesday with a final score of 3.5, a quarter-point better than predicted. That lifted the 11-field average corn yield to 3.3 from 3.27 a week earlier.

Crop Watch producers rate yield potential on a 1-to-5 scale, finalizing the score upon harvest. Yield potential incorporates both visible and non-visible elements where 3 is around farm average yield, 4 is solidly above average and 5 is a record or close to it.

Some producers reported fast harvest progress last week while others noted a slow pace. However, combines across the country are likely to be out in full force this week due to the widespread dry and warm weather expected for the Corn Belt. Karen Braun is a market analyst for Reuters. Views expressed above are her own.

(Reporting by Karen Braun; Editing by Leslie Adler)