Nebraska average yield estimate holds at 160 bushels per acre

In its crop production report released this morning, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said that Nebraska corn yields would average 160 bushels per acre this year, resulting in a 1.52 billion bushel crop, the second largest crop ever produced in the state.

The yield estimate was unchanged from last month but is 6 bushels below last year. Total production, however, is greater than year ago because more acres were planted and harvested this year.

Nationally, USDA pegged yields at 146.7 bushels per acre, the lowest since 2003-04 and 1.4 bushels below last month’s estimate. That puts total U.S. production at 12.31 billion bushels, off from last month’s estimate of 12.44 billion. (See below.)

Lower production numbers, however, only dropped ending stocks 23 million bushels to 843 million bushels, according to USDA’s supply and demand report. Some of the difference in crop size and ending stocks was made up by a 100 million bushel drop in feed use, with a reduction in broiler production being cited specifically.

An estimated average farm price for the year was left unchanged in a range of $6.20 to $7.20 per bushel. (Last year's average was set at $5.18 per bushel.)

Earlier this week, USDA said 87 percent of Nebraska’s second-largest corn crop was harvested.

Thanks to many good stretches of weather, harvest this year occurred at a fairly quick pace – well ahead of the 66 percent five-year average. The quick harvest pace is allowing farmers to get fall field work done in preparation for planting come spring.

For details on Nebraska’s top crop, check out the Nebraska Corn Board’s Crop Progress Update online.

This week's photos come from the Nebraska Corn Board's 2011 crop progress photo set at Flickr. They was submitted by a member of the Howells-Clarkson FFA Chapter.

Corn production and balance sheet (click for a larger image):