January 2007

Corn for grain production in Nebraska based on year-end surveys is estimated at 1.18 billion bushels, down 7% from last year. Yield of 152 bushels per acre is 2 bushels below last year and 14 bushels below the record high of 2004. Farmers harvested 7.75 million acres of corn for grain, down 6% from a year ago.

Soybean production for 2006 totaled a record high 251 million bushels, up 6%from the previous record high set last year. Yield, at 50 bushels per acre, is second highest of record, just 0.5 bushel below 2005's record high. Area for harvest, at 5.01 million acres, is up 8% from 2005.

Sorghum for grain production in 2006 is estimated at 19.2 million bushels, down 12% from last year. Yield is estimated at 80 bushels per acre, down 7 bushels from 2005.

Area harvested for grain was 240,000 acres, down 4% from a year ago and the lowest since 1953.Hay production totaled 5.78 million tons, down 18% from the previous year's crop.

Acreage harvested is 2.8 million acres, down 50,000 acres from 2005. Yield, at 2.03 tons per acre, is down 0.4 ton from last year. Alfalfa production is down 11% from a year ago and all other hay production is down 33%.

Nebraska Field Office
USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service