Feds increase expected corn yields for Iowa as harvest nears completion

By Jared Strong

Corn yields in Iowa are projected to average about 200 bushels per acre, and overall corn production in the United States this year might set a record, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

USDA’s average yield prediction for Iowa on Thursday is an increase of one bushel per acre from its figure a month ago, when about a third of the state’s corn had been harvested. About 89% of the crop had been harvested as of Sunday.

The yield prediction would match the state’s corn yields last year but would be short of the 204-bushel-per-acre record set in 2021.

If the prediction holds true, Iowa farmers will produce more than 2.5 billion bushels of corn for grain — the most of any state. That’s higher than the state’s production last year because corn has been planted on more acres.

Across the country, farmers planted about 10% more acres of corn this year compared with 2022, and total production is predicted to reach 15.2 billion bushels — a new record that surpasses the previous highs of about 15.1 billion bushels in 2016 and 2021.

Iowa’s soybean yields are expected to average 58 bushels per acre, a figure that is unchanged from a month ago. That is shy of last year’s 58.5 bushels per acre and the 2021 record of 63.

Iowa farmers are projected to produce more than 570 million bushels of soybeans — the second most of any state. USDA predicts Illinois will produce nearly 630 million bushels. That state is expected to have higher average soybean yields and planted more soybean acres.