Nebraska Corn Harvest Predicted to be Lowest Since 2006 - UNL CropWatch, Sept. 12, 2012

Nebraska Corn Harvest Predicted to be Lowest Since 2006 - UNL CropWatch, Sept. 12, 2012

September 12, 2012

Soybean and sorghum harvest lowest since 2002; sugarbeet yield expected to be a record high

Based on September 1 conditions, Nebraska’s corn crop is forecast at 1.32 billion bushels, 1% below last month, 14% below last year, and the smallest crop since 2006, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office. Yield is forecast at 145 bushels per acre, 2 bushels below last month and the lowest since 2002. Area to be harvested for grain, at 9.1 million acres, is down 5% from a year ago.

Soybean production in Nebraska is forecast at 200 million bushels, down 7% from last month and 23% below last year. Yield is forecast at 40 bushels per acre, a decrease of 3 bushels from August and the lowest since 2002. Area for harvest, at 5.0 million acres, is up 4% from a year ago.

Sorghum production in Nebraska is forecast at 4.48 million bushels, down 7% from the August forecast and down 32% from last year. Yield is forecast at 56 bushels per acre, down 4 bushels from last month and the lowest since 2002. Acres for harvest, at 80,000, are 10,000 acres more than 2011.

Sugarbeet production is forecast at 1.52 million tons, up 3% from last month and 18% above 2011. Yield, at a record high 31 tons per acre, is up 1 ton from last month and over 6 tons above the previous high of 24.9 tons per acre set last year.

National Crop Production Forecast

Corn production is forecast at 10.7 billion bushels, down less than 1% from the August forecast and down 13% from 2011. This represents the lowest production in the United States since 2006. Based on conditions as of September 1, yields are expected to average 122.8 bushels per acre, down 0.6 bushel from the August forecast and 24.4 bushels below the 2011 average. If realized, this will be the lowest average yield since 1995. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 87.4 million acres, unchanged from the August forecast but up 4% from 2011.

Soybean production is forecast at 2.63 billion bushels, down 2% from August and down 14% from last year. Based on September 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 35.3 bushels per acre, down 0.8 bushel from last month and down 6.2 bushels from last year. Compared with last month, yield forecasts are lower or unchanged across the Great Plains and most of the Corn Belt as lingering drought conditions continued to hamper yield expectations. Area for harvest in the United States is forecast at 74.6 million acres, unchanged from August but up 1% from last year.

View the full USDA September 1 forecast.

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