Three flowering crops. Three very different clues. Simplified illustrations; not to scale.
Look with curiosity. Leave the crop as you found it.
Use a passenger’s view or a safe, permitted stopping place. Keep farm approaches clear, stay out of working fields without the landowner’s permission, and never pick or taste a plant to identify it. North Dakota Tourism’s viewing guidance.
Start with what you can see
Ten crops, a few good clues.
These are starting points for recognition. Young plants, varieties, weather and viewing distance can all change the picture. The drawings highlight features, not every growth stage.
Start with the whole field guide.
Showing all 10 crops
01Oilseed · mustard family
Flower cluster detail Simplified; not to scale
Canola
A wash of tiny yellow flowers
Look for
A flowering field can look almost solid yellow. Up close, the small flowers have four petals; leaves on common B. napus canola are waxy and bluish green.
As it changes
The yellow fades as narrow seed pods develop along the branching stems. A canola field after flowering looks very different from the postcard version.
Easy to confuse
Mustard can make a similar yellow field. Flower color by itself is a clue, not a firm identification; leaf and pod details matter.
Field to everyday life
The seed is crushed for canola oil, with the remaining meal used in animal feed.
Flower head and upper leaves Simplified; not to scale
Sunflowers
Big yellow heads above broad leaves
Look for
Large flower heads have yellow rays around a central disk. The broad leaves and substantial stems are useful clues before the flowers open.
As it changes
The yellow rays wilt after flowering. The back of the head changes from green toward yellow and brown as seeds mature; a brown head can still be a crop awaiting harvest.
Easy to confuse
Common roadside sunflowers may be wild plants. A few flowers in a ditch do not identify a whole planted field or establish permission to enter it.
Field to everyday life
North Dakota grows both oilseed sunflowers and non-oil types used for snack seeds and other markets.
Tassel, leaf blades and ear Simplified; not to scale
Corn
Tall stalks, broad blades, tassels and ears
Look for
Broad, straplike leaves grow along an upright stalk. Later, a branching tassel appears at the top; ears form lower down, with silk emerging from their husks.
As it changes
Leaves and stalks dry down as grain matures. Corn cut green for silage can disappear from a field before nearby grain corn is harvested.
Easy to confuse
A tall cornfield is not necessarily sweet corn. Grain corn, silage corn, sweet corn and popcorn have different uses, and roadside appearance cannot confirm the intended market.
Field to everyday life
The tassel sheds pollen; the silks are part of the flower structures that receive it.
711 million buNorth Dakota corn-for-grain production in 2025. USDA NASS source.
07Oilseed & protein crop · legume family
Three leaflets and developing pods Simplified; not to scale
Soybeans
A leafy canopy with three-part leaves
Look for
After the first pair of simple leaves, soybean leaves have three leaflets. Plants branch into a leafy canopy; flowers and then pods develop at the nodes along the stems.
As it changes
Pods fill with seeds, then reach their mature color. A field can change quickly as plants mature and leaves drop.
Easy to confuse
Dry edible beans also have three-part leaves. That shared feature narrows the possibilities but does not distinguish the two from a car.
Field to everyday life
Soybeans supply oil, protein-rich meal and food ingredients. They are different from the pinto or navy beans in the next entry.
42.2%North Dakota's share of U.S. dry-edible-bean production in 2024. USDA NASS source.
09Root crop
Leaf crown and storage root cutaway Simplified; not to scale
Sugarbeets
Broad leaves growing from a low crown
Look for
Look for a low canopy of broad leaves growing from crowns near ground level. Much of the crop's value is in the enlarged root, where sugar is stored.
As it changes
Commercial sugarbeets are harvested for their roots after the first growing season. Do not expect a field of showy blossoms to announce them.
Easy to confuse
A low green canopy alone is not enough to separate sugarbeets from other broadleaf crops. Root shape is a useful close-up clue only when access is permitted.
Field to everyday life
Sugarbeets are especially associated with the Red River Valley. They are processed to extract sucrose, the sugar used at the table.
6.89 million tonsNorth Dakota sugarbeet production in 2025, rounded. USDA NASS source.
10Tuber crop · nightshade family
Compound leaf and underground tubers Simplified; not to scale
Potatoes
Leafy plants above ridged soil
Look for
Potato foliage has compound leaves with several leaflets. Planted rows are commonly hilled with soil. Some plants also show flowers above the canopy.
As it changes
The potatoes themselves develop underground on stolons. The visible green plant is only part of the picture.
Easy to confuse
Do not confuse the underground tubers with any small green fruits above ground. A distant leafy row is not enough for a confident identification.
Field to everyday life
North Dakota potatoes supply fresh markets, chips, frozen products and seed for planting. A potato is a stem tuber, botanically different from a sugarbeet's storage root.
These are dated statewide estimates, not live readings of the field beside you. Acreage describes area; production describes the quantity harvested.
24,500North Dakota farm operations in 2025
38.5 millionacres operated by those farms in 2025
1,571average acres per farm operation in 2025
Source: USDA NASS 2025 state overview, read September 4, 2026. Farm area includes more than planted cropland; an average also hides the wide range of farm sizes.
Five crops, measured the same way
North Dakota planted acres, 2025
Soybeans6.55 million
All wheat6.43 million
Corn4.70 million
Canola1.81 million
Sunflowers575,000
“All wheat” includes spring wheat, durum and winter wheat. Corn acreage includes all purposes. These five crops are a selection, not the state's total. Source and full crop table.
A number worth reading twice
A big share of the national harvest.
In 2024, North Dakota produced 81.1% of U.S. canola, 85.5% of U.S. flaxseed and 42.2% of U.S. dry edible beans.
Those are shares of national production for 2024. They describe the harvested crop, rather than the share of North Dakota farmland.
A crop does not keep its most recognizable look all summer. Planting dates, variety, temperature and rainfall move the schedule.
01
Before flowers or heads
Green seedlings can be hard to separate. Leaf arrangement helps, but a distant view may not be enough. Save the location in your own notes and look again on another trip.
02
During flowering
This is when canola, flax and sunflowers offer their strongest color clues. Many North Dakota sunflowers reach peak bloom from late July through August, with timing varying by field. Check the current tourism bloom updates.
03
As seeds and pods mature
Canola loses its yellow flowers. Flax develops round bolls. Sunflower rays wilt. The features in the “As it changes” notes help you recognize crops after their brightest moment.
04
At harvest and afterward
A brown crop is not automatically a failed crop. Cut stems, bare rows and residue tell a different story from a flowering field. For what is happening statewide now, read the latest USDA crop progress report.
Good questions from the passenger seat
Turn the drive into a little fieldwork.
Let each passenger choose one field. Name two visible clues, suggest a crop, and say what would make you more certain. The best answer might be “wheat or barley.”
Canola has many small flowers on branching stems. Sunflowers have much larger individual heads, with a central disk and yellow rays. Mustard can resemble canola, so “yellow” alone does not settle the question. Compare the canola and sunflower entries.
Can I tell wheat from barley by the beard?
Not reliably. Both can have awns, and these drawings show only examples. The CFIA cereal diagrams show how much variation there is.
What does “bu” mean in the crop figures?
It means bushels. USDA reports different crops in different units: grain may be in bushels, oilseeds in pounds and sugarbeets in tons. A “cwt,” used elsewhere in the USDA tables, is 100 pounds. Compare planted acres when you want an area comparison; do not add unlike production units.
Can I send a crop photo or a correction?
Yes. Email hello@peacegardenalmanac.com. A date, general location and clear view of leaves, flowers or the head can help us research a question. Take photos only from a safe place where you have permission to be. We may not be able to identify every plant, and will ask before publishing your photo.
The reporting notebook
Sources, dates and limits.
This guide is an editorial synthesis of agricultural references, not a claim that we inspected each crop in person. Identification descriptions were checked against the sources below on September 4, 2026. The original diagrams simplify selected plant features; they are not photographs, botanical plates or a substitute for a closer, permitted look.
Statistics retain their stated year and units. The USDA overview is a live page and may change as estimates are revised or a new year replaces it. Older Extension material is used here for plant characteristics and general uses, not current pesticide or farm-management instructions. This guide is for observation, not deciding whether a plant is edible.