Illinois expects to break records for corn and soybeans

Illinois will likely set yield records for both corn and soybeans this year, according to the August Crop Production report released today by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The corn yield will be 188 bushels an acre, the forecast concludes, surpassing the record of 180 bushels an acre in 2004. The soybean yield is projected to be 54 bushels an acre. If realized, it will eclipse the record of 51.5 bushels an acre set in 2010.

Here is a summary:

Corn: Planted area, at 12.0 million acres, is unchanged from 2013. Harvested area, forecast at 11.8 million acres, is also unchanged from the previous year. The corn yield is forecast at 188 bushels per acre, up 10 bushels from 2013. If realized, this would be a record high yield in Illinois, surpassing the previous record of 180 bushels per acre in 2004. Production is forecast at 2.22 billion bushels, 6 percent above the previous year. This would represent the second highest production level on record, behind only 2007 when 2.28 billion bushels were produced.

Soybeans: Planted area, at 10.1 million acres, is up 7 percent from 2013. Harvested area, forecast at 10.05 million acres, is up 7 percent from the previous year. The Illinois soybean yield is forecast at 54 bushels per acre, up 5 bushels from 2013. If realized, this would be a record high yield. Production is forecast at 543 million bushels, also a record high if realized.

Winter wheat: Harvested area in 2014 totals 690,000 acres, down 17 percent from the previous year. The winter wheat yield is forecast at 67 bushels per acre, unchanged from both the July 1 forecast and 2013. Production is forecast at 46.2 million bushels, 17 percent below the previous year.