E-mail: nass-ny@nass.usda.gov
(518) 457-5570

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:  Greg Lemmons
Friday, October 10, 2008

www.nass.usda.gov/ny

            NEW YORK CORN, SOYBEAN, HAY, AND DRY BEAN PRODUCTION INCREASES

        Based on conditions as of October 1, New York grain corn production is estimated at 81.1 million bushels, up 16 percent from last year’s crop due to a combination of more acres for harvest, and higher projected yields. Yields are expected to average a record high 133 bushels per acre, up 6 bushels from last year. Acreage for harvest is expected to total 610 thousand acres, up 11 percent from the 550 thousand acres harvested for grain in 2007. Nationally, grain corn production is forecast at 12.2 billion bushels, up 1 percent from last month but 7 percent below 2007.  Yields are expected to average 154.0 bushels per acre, up 1.7 bushels from September and 2.9 bushels above last year. If realized, this will be the second largest yield on record behind 2004, and production will be the second largest, behind last year.  Acreage updates were made in several States based on administrative data, bringing total corn planted area to 86.9 million acres, down 68,000 acres from the August forecast. Area harvested and to be harvested for grain is forecast at 79.2 million acres, down 93,000 acres from the previous forecast. If realized, area harvested for grain will be the second largest on record since 1944, behind the 86.5 million acres harvested last year.

      New York soybean production is expected to total a record high 10.2 million bushels, up 28 percent from 2007. Yields are forecast at 44 bushels per acre, up 5 bushels from last year. Acreage for harvest is expected to total a record high 231 thousand acres, up 14 percent from last year’s 203 thousand acres.  U.S. soybean output is forecast at 2.98 billion bushels, up 2 percent from the September forecast and up 11 percent from last year.  If realized this will be the fourth largest production on record.  Based on October 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 39.5 bushels per acre, down 0.5 from last month and down 2.2 bushels from 2007.  Yields increased or are unchanged from the September 1 forecast across the Southeast, the lower Mississippi Valley, and the Mid-Atlantic States. Area for harvest in the U.S. is forecast at 75.5 million acres, up 3 percent from last month and up 18 percent from 2007.

      New York production of dry alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures, at 1.12 million tons, is up 11 percent from last year. Other dry hay production, which includes clover-timothy, mixed grasses, etc., is forecast at 2.00 million tons, up 18 percent from a year ago. All dry hay production for the nation is forecast at 151 million tons, up slightly from last year.

      Dry bean production for the Empire State is expected to total 312 thousand hundredweight (cwt.), 39 percent above a year earlier. Yields are expected to average a record high 1,900 pounds per acre, up 540 pounds from 2007. Nationally, dry edible bean production is forecast at 25.4 million cwt for 2008, up 5 percent from the previous estimate and up slightly from 2007. Planted area is forecast at 1.50 million acres, up 7 percent from the August forecast but down 2 percent from 2007. Harvested area is forecast at 1.43 million acres, 6 percent above the last forecast but 3 percent below the previous year’s harvested acreage. The average U.S. yield is forecast at 1,772 pounds per acre, a decrease of 14 pounds from August’s forecast but 56 pounds above the 2007 yield. If realized, this will be the highest yield on record for the U.S.

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10-10-08