Corn Harvest Quality Report 2012/2013

V. U.S. CORN PRODUCTION, USAGE AND OUTLOOK

A. U.S. Corn Production1

  • According to the November 2012 USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, average U.S. yield for the 2012 crop is projected to be 7.7 mt/ha (122.3 bu/ ac). This is 1.5 mt/ha (24.9 bu/ac) lower than the 2011 corn crop and the lowest average yield since 1995.
  • The number of hectares harvested in 2012 is projected to be 35.5 million (87.7 mil ac). This is 1.5 mil ha (3.7 mil ac) more than in 2011.
  • Total U.S. corn production for 2012 is projected to be 272.4 mmt (10,725 mil bu). This is about 41.5 mmt (1,633 mil bu) lower than 2011, yet still the eighth-largest crop on record.
  • The projected lower total production in 2012 was caused by a severe drought and record heat in the key U.S. corn production areas thus driving significantly lower average yield.

2. ASD and State Level Production

The geographic areas included in the Harvest Report encompass the highest corn producing areas in the United States. This can be seen on the map showing estimated 2012 corn production by USDA Agricultural Statistical District (ASD).

Projected state-level corn production in 2012 differed from 2011 production for the states included in the Harvest Report due to generally lower corn yields and/or changed numbers of harvested corn acres.

The U.S. Corn Production table summarizes the differences in both quantity (mmt) and percentages between 2011 and projected 2012 corn production for each state. Also included is an indication of the relative changes in acres and yield between 2011 and projected 2012. The green bar indicates a relative increase and the red bar indicates a relative decrease from 2011 to projected 2012. This illustrates that acres were largely unchanged to slightly positive, while yield changes were generally negative with the exception of Minnesota and North Dakota.