Washington, D.C.-The USDA in its September Crop Production report said it expects corn yields to average 152.3 bushels/acre, down 2.7 bushels from August, but still 1.2 bushels above last year and second only to the 2004 crop. Corn production was forecast at 12.1 billion bushels, down 2 percent from last month and 8 percent below 2007. Many industry sources speculated the corn yield and total production estimates would be lowered from July and August projections, citing the lingering effects of a late planting season and the Mississippi River floods in June. The agency attributed the decline to dry conditions during August in the eastern and northern Cornbelt, the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, and across much of the Mississippi Valley. Several sources contacted by Green Markets last week said they anticipate further reductions, due again to poor crop development in areas hit with heavy rains and flooding in June. Soybean production was forecast at 2.93 billion bushels, down 1 percent from August projections, but up 13 percent from last year. Average soybean yields were projected at 40 bushels/acre, down 0.5 bushels from last month, and 1.2 bushels lower than 2007. All cotton production is forecast at 13.8 million 480-pound bales, up 1 percent from last month but down 28 percent from last year. Yield is expected to average 849 pounds per harvested acre, up 7 pounds from last month, but down 30 pounds from the record yield in 2007. Producers expect to harvest 9.41 million acres of all cotton and 7.66 million acres of upland cotton in 2008, USDA said, both down 25 percent from last year, and the lowest harvested acreage since 1983.
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