New York farmers are expected to produce 99 million bushels of grain corn this year, up 4 percent from 2013 levels, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) New York field office.
The estimate is based on conditions as of Sept. 1.
The field office estimates that acreage for grain-corn harvest in the Empire State will total 660,000 acres this year, down 4 percent from last year. But, corn yields are expected to average 150 bushels per acre, up 12 bushels, or 9 percent, from 2013.
The USDA pegs U.S. corn production at 14.4 billion bushels this year, up 3 percent from 2013 levels. Based on conditions as of Sept. 1, yields are expected to average 171.7 bushels per acre, up 12.9 bushels from the 2013 average. If realized, this will be the highest yield and production on record for the United States, the USDA noted. Area harvested for grain corn is forecast at 83.8 million acres, down 4 percent from 2013.