Iowa Breaks Corn And Soybean Yield Records Again

combine soybeansRural Iowa — Corn and soybean growers in Iowa and across the country set new records in 2016. That’s according to a report from the USDA Ag Statistics Service. Doug Hartwig, deputy director for the Upper Midwest region, says the corn yield in Iowa is estimated at 2.74 billion bushels.


Iowa’s average corn yield topped 200 bushels per acre for the first time ever.


Iowa is no stranger to the top spot. The state has now led the nation in corn production for 23 consecutive years and 38 of the last 39 years.

According to the Iowa Soybean Association, soybean farmers didn’t just break records, they “shattered them.” Soybean production in Iowa in 2016 is estimated at 572 million bushels.


The average soybean yield last year was 60.5 bushels per acre, also topping the previous record of 56.5 in 2015. Nationally, 2016 corn production totaled 15.1 billion bushels with an average yield of 174.4 bushels per acre. Those are both all-time highs, besting previous records set in 2014. U.S. soybean production totaled 4.3 billion bushels with an average yield of 52.1 bushels per acre, also new records.

Demand remains strong to move the bin-buster crop, according to the USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) Report.

U.S. soybean exports and crush remained unchanged from the last report at 2.05 billion bushels and 1.93 billion bushels, respectively.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Crop Field Specialist Joel De Jong says that the county-by-county 2016 yield numbers will come out in early to mid-February, 2017.

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