E-mail: nass-ny@nass.usda.gov (518) 457-5570 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Greg Lemmons Friday, October 8, 2010 www.nass.usda.gov/ny RECORD HIGH YIELDS OF SOYBEANS, CORN, AND DRY BEANS FOR NEW YORK Based on conditions as of October 1, New York soybean production is expected to total a record high 13.8 million bushels, up 27 percent from 2009. Yields are forecast at a record high 49 bushels per acre, up 6 bushels from last year. Acreage for harvest is expected to total a record high 282 thousand acres, up 11 percent from last year’s 254 thousand acres. U.S. soybean production is forecast at a record high 3.41 billion bushels, down 2 percent from September but 1 percent above last year. Based on October 1 conditions, yields are expected to average a record high 44.4 bushels per acre, down 0.3 bushel from last month but up 0.4 bushel from last year. Compared with last month, yields are forecast lower or unchanged in all major-producing States except Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin. Area for harvest in the U.S. is forecast at 76.8 million acres, down 1 percent from the previous estimate but up 1 percent from 2009. Acreage updates were made in several states based on administrative data. New York grain corn production is estimated at 87.3 million bushels, up 10 percent from last year’s production of 79.7 million bushels. Yields are expected to average a record high 148 bushels per acre, up 14 bushels from last year. Acreage for harvest is expected to total 590 thousand acres, down 1 percent from the 595 thousand acres harvested for grain in 2009. Nationally, grain corn production is forecast at 12.7 billion bushels, down 4 percent from the September forecast and down 3 percent from last year’s record production of 13.1 billion bushels. Based on conditions as of October 1, yields are expected to average 155.8 bushels per acre, down 6.7 bushels from the previous month and 8.9 bushels below last year’s record of 164.7 bushels. Forecasted yields decreased from last month throughout much of the Corn Belt and Tennessee Valley. Illinois showed the largest decline, down 14 bushels per acre. Indiana and Iowa are both down 10 bushels from the previous month, while Missouri and Nebraska declined 9 bushels per acre. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 81.3 million acres, up less than 1 percent from the September forecast. Acreage updates were made in several states based on administrative data. Dry bean production for the Empire State is expected to total 305 thousand hundred- weight (cwt.), 58 percent above a year earlier. Yields are expected to average a record high 2,100 pounds per acre, up 860 pounds per acre from last year. Nationally, dry edible bean production is forecast at 32.6 million cwt for 2010, up 6 percent from the August 1 forecast. Planted area is forecast at 1.90 million acres, up 7 percent from the August 1 forecast. Harvested area is forecast at 1.83 million acres, 7 percent above the August 1 forecast. The average U.S. yield is forecast at 1,783 pounds per acre, a decrease of 15 pounds from August 1 forecast. If realized, this will be the highest yield on record. Production is expected to be higher than 2009 in 12 of the 18 producing States. Each of the top five producing states is anticipating higher production this year. New York production of dry alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures, at 912 thousand tons, is up 13 percent from last year. Other dry hay production, which includes clover- timothy, mixed grasses, etc., is forecast at 1.26 million tons, down 24 percent from a year ago. All dry hay production for the nation is forecast at 152 million tons, up 3 percent from last year. # 10-08-10