June 30, 2009

Nebraska farmers equal '07, plant most corn since 1930s

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture said today that farmers in Nebraska planted 9.4 million acres of corn this year. That equals the amount planted in 2007 and is the most planted in the state since the 1930s.

The figure is 600 thousand acres more than what USDA estimated in March. That's a whole lot more corn!

It's also 600 thousand acres (6.4 percent) more than what Nebraska farmers planted last year - 8.8 million acres.

In a news release, Don Hutchens, executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board, said many Nebraska farmers saw good spring weather that allowed them to get planters rolling early. “At the same time, corn futures moved up a bit and encouraged farmers to plant a few extra acres since Mother Nature was cooperating," he said.

Hutchens compared this year's crop to 1932 - when 10.7 million acres were planted in the state.

How much corn do you think Nebraska farmers produced on these 10.7 million acres in 1932?

The answer: 250 million bushels.

Today, with 9.7 million acres, Nebraska farmers are looking at producing 1.5 billion bushels - a 500 percent increase.

“Nebraska farmers today are putting new technologies to work in ‘sustaining innovations’ that allow us to grow more corn on fewer acres," Hutchens said.

Nationally, USDA said 87.0 million acres of corn were planted this year, up 1 percent from last year and 2 million acres more than what USDA reported in its March planting intentions report. This is the second-largest planted acreage since 1946, behind 2007. It's also 3 million more acres than average trade estimate.

With good growing conditions the rest of this summer, farmers across the country may produce a very large crop, in the 12 billion to 13 billion bushel range, and one of the largest on record, said Kelly Brunkhorst, ag program manager for the Nebraska Corn Board.

Grain stocks
In a separate report, USDA said U.S. corn stocks as of June 1 totaled 4.27 billion bushels, up 6 percent a year ago. On-farm storage totaled 2.21 billion bushels, up 12 percent from a year ago, while off-farm stocks, at 2.06 billion bushels, are up slightly.

Corn stocks in Nebraska totaled 486 million bushels, up 23 percent from last year’s 395.2 million. USDA said 250 million bushels were being stored on Nebraska farms, an increase of 38.9 percent from last year’s 180 million, while 236 million were stored off farm, an increase of 9.7 percent from last year’s 215.2 off farm.

2 comments:

  1. In the 2nd & 3rd paragraphs the number is listed as 600 Million acres- I think that if you recheck the figure should be 600 thousand acres. And also scroll on down to where it states a 500 percent increase in yield doesn't figure out either. It is over 600 percent.

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  2. Thanks - you are right, '600 million' should have been thousands. Working to quickly there I guess. Thanks for pointing that out - I've fixed it in the post.

    The 500% is right, though.

    To get a percent increase you take the (increased amount - original amount) / original amount.

    As in (1.5-0.25)/0.25 (1.5 billion bushels minus .025 billion = 1.25 billion/0.25 billion = 5. Take that times 100 for percent and you get 500%.

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