mn-press-releases MINNESOTA AG NEWS USDA, NASS MN Dept of Agriculture MINNESOTA FIELD OFFICE PO Box 7068, St. Paul, MN 55107 Douglas Hartwig, Director Phone: (651) 296-2230 Homepage: http://www.nass.usda.gov/mn/ E-mail: nass-mn@nass.usda.gov --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Production Released: September 12, 2008 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MINNESOTA CORN PRODUCTION DOWN FROM LAST MONTH CORN production for Minnesota is forecast at 1.18 billion bushels, down 1 percent from the August 1 forecast and up 4 percent from 2007 according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Minnesota Field Office. Based on September 1 conditions, yield is forecast at 163 bushels per acre, down 2 bushels from last month but up from last year’s yield of 146 bushels per acre. Corn for grain harvested area is estimated at 7.25 million acres, down 7 percent from last year. SOYBEAN production is forecast at 278 million bushels, unchanged from last month’s forecast and up 10 percent from last year. Soybean yield is forecast at 40 bushels per acre, unchanged from last month’s forecast and down 1 bushel from 2007. Soybean harvested area is estimated at 6.95 million acres, up 13 percent from a year ago. The SUGARBEET crop is forecast at 9.78 million tons, up 1 percent from last month but down 15 percent from 2007. Yield is forecast at 22.7 tons per acre, down 1.1 tons per acre from last year’s yield of 23.8 tons per acre. U.S. HIGHLIGHTS Corn production is forecast at 12.1 billion bushels, down 2 percent from last month and 8 percent below 2007. Based on conditions as of September 1, yields are expected to average 152.3 bushels per acre, down 2.7 bushels from August but 1.2 bushels above last year. If realized, yield will be the second highest on record, behind 2004, while production will be the second largest, behind last year. Yield forecasts are lower than last month across the northern and eastern Corn Belt and the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys where the lack of rainfall during August reduced soil moisture supplies and stressed the crop. Yield prospects also decreased across much of the middle Mississippi Valley and adjacent areas of the Great Plains as dry weather during August eliminated soil moisture surpluses. Soybean production is forecast at 2.93 billion bushels, down 1 percent from the August forecast but up 13 percent from last year. If realized, this will be the fourth largest production on record. Based on September 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 40.0 bushels per acre, down 0.5 bushel from last month and down 1.2 bushels from 2007. Compared with last month, yields are forecast lower or unchanged in the mid-Atlantic States, the central and eastern Corn Belt, Louisiana, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Yields increased or are unchanged from the August 1 forecast across the Southeast and the remainder remainder of the Great Plains. Area for harvest in the U.S. is forecast at 73.3 million acres, unchanged from last month but up 17 percent from 2007. Sugarbeet Production of sugarbeets in 2008 is forecast at 26.1 million tons, down 3 percent from the August forecast and down 18 percent from last year. Production forecasts are down from last year in all estimating States except Colorado. Growers expect to harvest 1.06 million acres in 2008, up 1 percent from the August forecast but down 15 percent from last year. The yield forecast, at 24.7 tons per acre, is up 0.6 ton from August but down 0.9 ton from 2007. Yield expectations are higher than last month in all States except North Dakota and Washington. MINNESOTA & U.S. HARVESTED ACRES, YIELD, AND PRODUCTION 2007 2008 HARVESTED HARVESTED 2007 2008 2007 2008 ACRES ACRES YIELD YIELD PRODUCTION PRODUCTION COMMODITY (000) (000) (000) (000) MINNESOTA CORN (Bu) 7,800 7,250 146.0 163.0 1,138,800 1,181,750 SOYBEANS (Bu) 6,150 6,950 41.0 40.0 252,150 278,000 SUGARBEETS (Ton) 481 431 23.8 22.7 11,448 9,784 UNITED STATES CORN (Bu) 86,542 79,290 151.1 152.3 13,073,893 12,072,365 SOYBEANS (Bu) 62,820 73,341 41.2 40.0 2,585,207 2,933,888 SUGARBEETS (Ton) 1,246.8 1,057.7 25.6 24.7 31,912 26,089