Corn and soybean production in Ohio could be the worst in 11 years, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.
Production for both crops is expected to be down significantly this year, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The agency report, released Oct. 10, estimated corn yield to be down to 160 bushels an acre. That’s down 27 bushels from last year.
Soybean production is forecast at 48 bushels per acre, down eight bushels from last year.
Total corn production is forecast at 414 million bushels, and total soybean production is estimated at 205 million bushels.
Those estimates would put total corn and soybeans production at the lowest it’s been since 2008, the report stated.
Harvest status
Harvest continues to move slowly, although warmer than normal temperatures have helped. According to the USDA’s Ohio Crop Weather report, issued Oct. 15, soybean harvest jumped to 36% for the week ending Oct. 13, up from 18% the week prior.
That’s still behind last year’s number of 41% and the five-year average of 48%.
A majority of corn is dented, at 90%, but only 16% was harvested for grain, the crop weather report stated. That’s up only 5 percentage points from last week.
Winter wheat planting is way ahead of the five-year average, at 72%, due to open fields from prevented plant acres and good planting conditions, the report stated. The five-year average was 52%.
