2007 corn crop one for record books

WASHINGTON – The 2007 U.S. corn crop set a new record for acres planted and harvested, with 13.1 billion bushels of production eclipsing the previous high, set in 2004, of 11.8 billion bushels.
That’s according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service crop production summary released Jan. 11.
The 2007 production level was up 24 percent from 2006.
Everybody wants some. Driven by favorable prices, growing ethanol demand and strong export sales, farmers in nearly all states increased their corn acreage in 2007.
Planted area, at 93.6 million acres, was the highest level since 1944. The 86.5 million acres harvested for grain was the most since 1933, and up 22 percent from 2006.
Those acres yielded an average of 151.1 bushels of corn, the second highest yield on record after 2004’s 160.4 bushels per acre.
Soybeans take hit. The shift to corn led U.S. farmers to plant and harvest 16 percent fewer soybean acres in 2007 than in 2006. A total of 63.6 million acres were planted, and 62.8 million were harvested.
Soybean production, at 2.6 billion bushels, was down 19 percent from the record high of 3.2 billion bushels in 2006, while the average yield per acre was at 41.2 bushels, 1.5 bushels below last year.
Ohio’s yield drops. Ohio’s 2007 average corn yield is estimated at 150 bushels per acre, down 9 bushels from the previous year’s state record.
Buckeye producers harvested 3.61 million acres for grain this past year, compared to 2.96 million acres in 2006. Total state production of 541.5 million bushels is 15 percent above the 2006 total.
Acreage harvested for silage is estimated at 170,000 acres, up 20,000 acres from the previous year. The average silage yield is estimated at 16.5 tons per acre.
Ohio bean record. Ohio’s average soybean yield for 2007 is estimated at 47 bushels per acre, which ties the state record yield of 2006 and 2004.
Ohio growers harvested 4.13 million acres of soybeans in 2007.
Ohio crops. Alfalfa yields averaged 3.30 tons of dry hay per acre in 2007, while all other hay averaged 2.10 tons per acre. Production of all hay decreased 14 percent from 2006.
Burley tobacco production in Ohio for 2007 is estimated at 7.18 million pounds, an increase of 2.5 percent from 2006. Ohio’s potato production in 2007 is estimated at 975,000 cwt., a decrease of 3 percent from 2006.
Ohio’s winter wheat acreage for 2008 is estimated at 820,000, down 170,000 acres from 2007.
Pa. numbers. Corn for grain production totaled 125.4 million bushels, up 7 percent from last year’s production. Corn acres harvested for grain was estimated at 980,000 and the average yield was 128 bushels per acre.
Corn for silage production at 6.8 million tons, was down 1 percent from production in 2006 and 2005, although acres harvested for silage totaled 410,000 were up 8 percent from 2006 and 2005.
Silage yield was 16.5 tons per acre, down 1.5 tons per acre from both the 2006 and 2005 yields.
Total forage production on a dry equivalent basis was 5.46 million tons, 17 percent below last year’s production. Forage was harvested from 2.05 million acres, up 2 percent from last year. Average forage yield per acre in 2007 was 2.67 dry tons, compared to 3.29 dry tons a year ago.
Soybean production, at 17.2 million bushels, was 1 percent above last year’s production. Acreage harvested was 420,000, down 5,000 acres from 2006. The 2007 yield was 41.0 bushels per acre, 1 bushel per acre above a year ago.
Oat production was 4.48 million bushels, 36 percent below last year’s production. Harvested acres totaled 80,000, down 30,000 acres from both last year and two years ago. The yield was 56 bushels per acre, 8 bushels below last year.
Production of winter wheat was 8.99 million bushels. Harvested acres totaled 155,000, with a yield of 58.0 bushels per acre, 1 bushel per acre below last year.
Pa. fall potato production, at 2.20 million hundredweight (cwt.), was down 19 percent from last year’s production. Acres harvested were down 500 from last year at 10,000.
Pennsylvania burley tobacco production totaled 10.75 million pounds, down 7 percent from a year ago. Acreage for harvest was 5,000, compared to 5,500 a year ago. Average yield per acre was 2,150 pounds, up 50 pounds per acre from last year.
What’s in storage? Pennsylvania’s corn stored in all positions on Dec. 1, 2007, was 85.8 million bushels, up 24 percent from a year ago.
On-farm corn stocks amounted to 75 million bushels, while off-farm stocks were 10.8 million bushels.
Wheat stored off farms totaled 6.2 million bushels. Soybeans stored off farms totaled 3.7 million bushels.
Ohio stocks. Corn stocks in all positions in Ohio on Dec. 1, 2007, totaled 415.5 million bushels.
On-farm stocks, at 270 million bushels, accounted for 65 percent of the total stored. Off-farm stocks increased 17 percent from a year ago to 145.8 million bushels.
Soybean stocks in all positions in Ohio totaled 154 million bushels, down 7 percent from the previous December. Off-farm storage accounted for 44 percent of total storage. On farm stocks, at 86 million bushels, are down 14 percent from the 100 million bushels stored on farms at the same time last year.
Nationwide stocks. U.S. corn stored in all positions on Dec. 1, 2007, totaled 10.3 billion bushels, up 15 percent from the previous year.
Of the total stocks, 6.53 billion bushels are stored on farms, up 16 percent from a year earlier. Off-farm stocks, at 3.74 billion bushels, are up 13 percent from a year ago.
Soybean stocks stored on farms totaled 1.10 billion bushels, down 25 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 1.23 billion bushels, are down 1 percent from last December.
The United States on-farm storage capacity totaled 12.1 billion bushels, up 4 percent from Dec. 1, 2006. Capacity of off-farm commercial grain storage totaled 9.06 billion bushels in the United States, up 3 percent.