According to a recent USDA press release, United States soybean and corn producers are estimated to hit record-high production in 2014, showing a significant planting turnaround despite late winter conditions.
The Crop Production report, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), reveals that soybean production has increased 16 percent from 2013, with 3.82 billion bushels, and corn production has increased 1 percent from 2013, with 14.0 billion bushels.
The Des Moines Register shared insight from Colin Johnson, a fourth generation farmer who rents land from a dozen different property owners in and around Wapello Country, who said, “By far, this should be a record corn crop here locally. It will put the others to shame, from a yield standpoint.”
The first production forecast for U.S. cotton was also included in this report, with 17.5 million 480-pound bales expected, up 36 percent from 2013. The wheat production forecast has increased 2 percent from a recent forecast in July, which is still down 5 percent from last year.
In preparation for the report, NASS collected data from almost 25,000 producers across the United States. In addition, the organization conducted field and lab measurements on corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton in the states with highest production that typically make up about 75 percent of overall U.S. production.
Other findings from the Crop Production report included an estimated 91.6 million acres for corn planted area, which is down 4 percent from last year. However, the estimated area for soybean harvest is a record-high of 84.1 million acres, showing an 11 percent increase from 2013.