Record Hoosier soybean yield this harvest?
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If a forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture holds true, Indiana farmers could see record soybean yields this harvest season. The USDA says Hoosier farmers are on pace to see a statewide soybean average of 60 bushels an acre, up just under 1% from last year’s harvest. That yield, if realized, would produce 350 million bushels of soybeans. Indiana farmers planted 5.8 million acres of soybeans.
USDA is forecasting Hoosier farmers will see a statewide average of corn hit 189 bushels an acre, down from last year’s 195 bu/acre. Based on the average yield, farmers will harvest 935 million bushels of corn.
The latest USDA crop progress report issued Monday afternoon shows 54% of both soybeans and corn are rated good-to-excellent. One-third of both Indiana crops are described as fair.
In terms of crop production nationally, USDA is forecasting U.S. farmers will harvest 14.4 billion bushels of corn, down about 5% from last year. The national average is 175.4 bushels an acre.
Soybean production, nationally, is forecast to reach 4.5 billion bushels, up 2% from 2021. The ag department says the national average yield for soybeans is 51.9 bushels an acre, a record in terms of yield, according to USDA estimates.