Colorado Corn Crop Estimate is Revised Upwards
Barbara Crimond | Nov 11, 2017 | Comments 0
Already predicted to be a state record, Colorado’s 2017 corn-for-grain production forecast increases again
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has once again upped its predictions for Colorado’s 2017 corn-for-grain production. Today’s USDA forecast calls for the state’s farmers to harvest 187.96 million bushels this fall — up from last month’s prediction of 184.15 million bushels. That figure already would have stood as a record for Colorado, where the state’s all-time production record is 182.71 million bushels, set in 2010.
The latest uptick in the forecast for Colorado stems from another increase in the anticipated average yield. Last month the USDA predicted average yields in Colorado would be 145.0 bushels per acre, but that figure was increased to 148.0 this month. If that comes to fruition, that would stand as the best average yield in the state since 2010, when it was 151.0 bushels per acre.
The number of acres expected to be harvested this year remained the same as last month’s USDA forecast, standing at 1.27 million acres. That would be the most acres harvested in the state since 2011, when Colorado farmers harvested 1.3 million acres.
About 90 percent of the state’s corn acres are harvested for grain. It will be a while before Colorado’s actual corn-for-grain production can be compared to the recent forecasts, as harvest is only 50 percent complete in Colorado. Corn-silage harvest, though, is nearly complete here, where about 10 percent of corn acres are harvested for silage. However, USDA does not release state-by-state forecasts for silage.
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Corn-for-grain production nationally still expected to decrease in 2017
Although forecasts call for Colorado to see an increase in grain production, the U.S. as a whole is expected to see its total corn-for-grain production actually drop, from 15.15 billion bushels last year down to 14.58 billion bushels this year. Meanwhile, corn-for-grain harvest nationally was 70 percent complete this week, trailing the five-year average of 83 percent.
Filed Under: Agriculture • Consumer Issues • Economy • Featured • Media Release
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