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| USDA expects record crop in 2009 |
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| Written by Bob Harrington | |||
| Wednesday, 16 September 2009 07:00 | |||
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It may sound like a broken record, but American farmers are poised to harvest a near-record corn crop and record soybean crop. Farmers also are likely this fall to establish a new record for the amount of corn produced per acre of land. In projections released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers are expected to produce a record 161.9 bushels per acre, a 5 percent increase over last year’s average yield and 1.5 bushels per acre higher than the previous record set in 2004. USDA expects total corn production to reach 13 billion bushels, a 7 percent increase over last year and the second-largest crop on record. USDA is also expecting record soybean production of 3.25 billion bushels. The Renewable Fuels Association reports that just 15 years ago 35 million more acres of corn would have been needed to produce the equivalent of this year’s crop. Because of advancements in farming and seed technology, farmers can produce far more per acre, reducing the need for total crop acreage. Such facts run counter to the hysterical claims that increased U.S. biofuel production is leading to increased conversion of non-agricultural land in the United States and abroad. The facts don’t support this hypothesis, according to the Renewable Fuels Association. Based on USDA projections of corn for ethanol use in the 2009/2010 crop year (Sept. 2009-Aug. 2010), the U.S. ethanol industry will produce 11.8 billion gallons of ethanol and 32 million metric tons of livestock feed.
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