Illinois Misses Record Corn, Soybean Yields

www.agrinews-pubs.com
Tom Doran
2010-02-19

WASHINGTON – U.S. corn and soybean production broke records this past growing season, although Illinois yields didn’t fare as well.

According to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture report, U.S. corn for grain production is estimated at a record 13.2 billion bushels, up 2 percent from the Nov. 1 forecast and 1 percent above the previous record of 13.0 billion bushels set in 2007.

U.S. grain yield also is estimated at a record level for 2009, at 165.2 bushels per acre, up 2.3 bushels from the November forecast and 4.9 bushels above the previous record of 160.3 bushels per acre set in 2004.

Corn planted area, at 86.5 million acres, is up less than 1 percent from 2008. This represents the second largest acreage since 1949, behind the 2007 acreage of 93.5 million acres.

Area harvested for grain is estimated at 79.6 million acres, up slightly from the November forecast and up 1 percent from 2008.

Illinois produced 2.065 billion bushels for corn for grain in 2009, 3 percent less than the 2008 production. The final yield was 175 bushels per acre in Illinois, 4 bushels below 2008’s yield.

There were 12 million acres of corn planted in Illinois this past year, 100,000 more than in 2008, and below the 2007 total of 13.2 million acres.

Indiana growers produced 933.7 million bushels of corn, an increase over last year’s 873.6 million bushels. Corn yields in Indiana jumped to 171 bushels per acre, 11 more than in 2008, and 17 above 2007.

There were 5.6 million acres of corn planted in Indiana, 100,000 more than the previous year. There were 6.5 million corn acres in 2007.

Iowa corn yields set a high mark of 182 bushels per acre for a total production of 2.439 billion bushels. The average per acre yield is 11 bushels above each of the previous two years.

Iowa had 13.7 million corn acres, 400,000 above 2008 and below the 14.2 million mark in 2007.

U.S. soybean production in 2009 totaled 3.36 billion bushels, up 1 percent from the Nov. 1 forecast and up 13 percent from 2008. This past year’s soybean production is the largest on record.

The average yield per acre is estimated at a record high 44.0 bushels, 0.7 bushel above the Nov. 1 forecast and 4.3 bushels above last year’s yield. Harvested area is up 2 percent from 2008 to a record 76.4 million acres.

The Illinois soybean crop averaged 46 bushels per acre, 1 below the 2008 yield. Production in Illinois for 2009 reached 430.1 million bushels, slightly above the previous year’s production.

Illinois soybean acres planted in 2009 was up 200,000 from 2008 to 9.4 million. Indiana soybean yields averaged 49 bushels per acre, 4 above last year, and 3 better than in 2007.

Total soybean production in Indiana reached 266.56 million bushels, compared to 244.35 million in 2008 and just over 220 million in 2007.

Soybean acreage in Indiana was estimated at 5.45 million, matching 2008. Acreage was 4.8 million in 2007.

For the second time in three years, Iowa’s average soybean yields surpassed the 50s, reaching 51 bushels this year, 1 less than in 2007, but 3.5 better than in 2008.

Iowa produced over 486 million bushels of soybeans, compared to 449.66 million the previous year. Iowa producers planted 9.6 million acres of soybeans, 150,000 less than the previous year, and nearly 1 million acres above 2007.

The report also stated the U.S. winter wheat seeded area for 2010 is expected to total 37.1 million acres, down 14 percent from 2009.


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