Overall favorable growing conditions through the first of August set expectations for an excellent 2016 harvest, not only with a record high winter wheat yield, but also above average yields for all other major field crops, according to Greg Matli, State Statistician, USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office.
Highlights of the August 1 Crop Production report follow:
Indiana’s average corn yield is forecast is 187 bushels per acre, up 37 bushels from the previous year. Total production is forecast at 1.05 billion bushels.
Soybean yield is forecast at 55 bushels per acre, up 5 bushels from the 2015 state average yield, but a half bushel short of 2014’s record yield. Total production is forecast at 312.4 million bushels, up 14 percent from last year to a new record high.
Winter wheat yield is estimated at 80 bushels per acre, 4 bushels above the previous year and a state record, if realized. Winter wheat production is forecast at 25.6 million bushels.
Hay producers expect to harvest 210,000 acres of alfalfa hay with an average yield of 4.20 tons per acre. Total production is forecast at 882,000 tons, down 2 percent from last year. All other hay for harvest is expected at 360,000 tons with an average yield of 2.40 tons per acre. Total state production for all other
hay is forecast at 864,000 tons, up 14 percent from the previous year.
“After the slow start to planting across the state, it is good to see that we are expecting to see near record yields and a strong soybean crop this fall,” said David Rodibaugh, Indiana Soybean Alliance director from Jasper County. Rodibaugh and Anngie Steinbarger, ISA director from Shelby County, attended the USDA crop report announcement in Washington, D.C. to hear the forecast firsthand and talk to USDA economists about how the report affects U.S. farmers.
While some areas of Indiana have seen corn yields decline in recent week, the USDA report puts Hoosier corn production for 2016 at over 1 billion bushels. “After the difficult growing season and below average production of 2015, it was good to hear that the corn crop here in Indiana and across the U.S. looks promising,” said Jacob Walker, Indiana Corn Marketing Council director from Dekalb County. “While this report does not bring us a lot of hope that we’ll see improved prices for our corn now through harvest, at least Hoosier farmers will have a plentiful crop to market come this fall.” Walker and ICMC directors Mike Beard of Clinton County and Herb Ringel of Wabash County, attended the USDA crop report announcement in Washington, D.C. to hear the forecast firsthand and talk to USDA economists about how the report affects U.S. farmers.