September rainfall across parts of the Midwest exceeded expectations during the opening weeks of harvest, according to Justin Welch, head of commercial agronomy for Syngenta Seeds.

"September is going to be one that we won't soon forget," Welch said in comments reported by Brownfield Ag News.

Welch said the crop was in good shape coming out of August, but the wet pattern that followed has made the early harvest picture more difficult to read. He urged patience as the full quality profile of the new crop develops.

How disruptive was the rain?

Welch did not disclose specific rainfall totals, but his characterization of September as unforgettable aligns with National Weather Service records showing repeated storm systems tracking across the central and eastern Corn Belt during the first three weeks of the month. The pattern left many growers idle between rain events, with combines parked as fields waited to firm up.

In the Midwest, that kind of mid-to-late September weather typically pushes grain moisture higher, slows drydown in corn, and can elevate the risk of ear molds and stalk rot. Soybean fields face their own set of issues: delayed maturity, increased shatter losses at the header, and stained seed coats that can trim premiums at the elevator.

What does Syngenta's commercial agronomy team cover?

Welch oversees the commercial agronomy function at Syngenta Seeds, one of the world's largest seed developers. The team works directly with growers, retailers, and seed dealers to track hybrid performance, in-season disease pressure, and harvest readiness across U.S. production regions.

His role places him in a position to consolidate field-level observations from across the seed company's footprint. That vantage point informed his call for patience.

What signals matter most right now?

Agronomists typically focus on a short list of indicators during the early harvest window:

• Grain moisture at the combine
• Test weight per bushel
• Ear and stalk integrity
• Foliar and ear disease presence
• Lodging levels after wind events

Welch did not offer specific quality benchmarks or thresholds in his public remarks. The procedural message — wait, watch, then judge — was the takeaway.

Why is patience the right call?

A small number of early-harvested fields rarely represents the broader crop. State and national yield and quality estimates can move sharply in the first three to four weeks of harvest as more acres reach the combine.

Welch's caution fits a familiar agronomic pattern: a disruptive September changes expectations but rarely decides the final outcome. The first USDA Crop Progress report and the National Agricultural Statistics Service quality summaries for affected states will provide the next hard data points for both growers and the trade.

What comes next?

Harvest activity typically accelerates through October across the Midwest, with combines moving from the southern states into the central and northern Corn Belt as fields dry. Welch's framing leaves the door open for the September disruption to fade — or to deepen — depending on what the next two to three weeks of combines reveal.

The forward-looking read from Syngenta's agronomy team is straightforward: the new-crop story will be written in October, not in the wet fields of September.