Increased acreage and higher yields for corn and soybeans allowed both crops to return to more typical production levels, according to the 2020 Crop Production Annual Summary released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
U.S. corn growers produced 14.2 billion bushels, up 4% from 2019. Corn yield in the United States is estimated at 172.0 bushels per acre, 4.5 bushels above the 2019 yield of 167.5 bushels per acre. Area harvested for grain, at 82.5 million acres, is up 1% from 2019.
Soybean production for 2020 totaled 4.14 billion bushels, up 16% from 2019. With record high yields in Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, and Tennessee, the average soybean yield is estimated at 50.2 bushels per acre, 2.8 bushels above 2019, but 0.5 bushel below the Nov. 1 forecast.
For 2020, all cotton production is down 25% from 2019, at 15.0 million 480-pound bales. The U.S. yield is estimated at 825 pounds per acre, up 2 pounds from last year’s yield. Harvested area, at 8.70 million acres, is down 25% from last year.
Also released were the Winter Wheat and Canola Seedings and Grain Stocks reports. The Winter Wheat and Canola Seedings report provides the first indicator of this year’s winter wheat acreage. Planted area for harvest in 2021 is estimated at 32.0 million acres, up 5% from 2020.
In the Grain Stocks report, corn stored as of Dec. 1, 2020 was estimated to be down fractionally from Dec. 1, 2019. Soybean stocks were down 10% from a year earlier. Corn stored in all positions totaled 11.3 billion bushels, while soybeans totaled 2.93 billion bushels. All wheat stocks were down 9% from a year earlier. All wheat stored in all positions on Dec. 1, 2020 totaled 1.67 billion bushels. This caused the grain markets to rise yesterday.
The full Crop Production 2020 Summary is available online. The report contains year-end acreage, yield and production estimates for grains and hay; oilseeds; cotton, tobacco and sugar; dry beans, peas and lentils; and potatoes and miscellaneous crops.
The Crop Production report is published monthly and is available online.
