The second of three U.S. Grains Council (USGC) videos chronicling the 2014 U.S. corn growing season was released this week, highlighting production conditions on four farms.
The segment, which is available online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAou_yuhT4A&list=UUagF3P0a0yT-_hvr4nwBUoQ, will also be presented to international audiences in conjunction with the Council’s 2014/2015 Corn Harvest Quality report set to be released this winter.
The video examines the growing conditions of U.S. corn producers located in Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas and Ohio. The first video in the series focused on planting, this segment highlights the outstanding weather in June and July for most farmers in the U.S. Corn Belt, which helped the U.S. crop progress quickly and set up a good situation for pollination.
“We are pretty well on schedule,” said Nebraska farmer Dave Nielsen, featured in the video. “We thought we would be a little late going into tasseling but the corn crop grew tremendously in June.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report from Aug. 12 projected the 2014 U.S. corn crop as a new record.
That report estimated U.S. corn production at a record 356.43 million tons (14 billion bushels), with yields projected at 10.5 tons per hectare (167 bushels per acre), the highest ever, compared with 9.9 tons per hectare (157 bushels per acre) last year.
“As we talk about the yield potential, this field would be more than 16 tons per hectare,” said Illinois farmer Paul Jeschke in the clip, showcasing his field. “Our average production is a little more than 11 and a good year for us in the past has been 13. It looks like the potential is much above normal for us.”
The story this year is about more than just quantity – it is also about quality. Corn quality is on track to be very good as insect pressure and other potential problems are under control.
“The corn quality should be excellent this year,” Jeschke said. “And I would expect mycotoxin problems in our region of the country to be almost non-existent.”
The lack of pressure from insects has a lot to do with biotechnology.
“To produce good quality grain, you need to start in the field,” said Ohio farmer John Linder. “We need to head off any molds that might grow, and we need to produce a kernel full of strength and integrity. What the biotechnology trait really does is keep the plant healthy.”
With good weather this year and healthy plants, it is looking more likely the United States will have a record corn crop of good quality.
The final installment of this video, reviewing how harvest went for the four farmers, will be available in the late fall.
Click play below to watch the video.