A configurable automated system preprocesses weather and agronomic data to provide a yield forecast model for a target crop in an identified region. The system considers data typically excluded based on biases of a human operator and/or considers data otherwise not considered to be relevant and/or a powerful predictor by a person having ordinary skill in the art. The system builds predictive models through a variety of statistical approaches, selects and validates candidate models, and operates validated models that output in-season forecasts in a production environment.