Cornhuskers Harvesting a Record

Nebraska's cornhuskers, not the athletic program at the university but its corn farmers, could be harvesting a record crop this year according to estimates released Friday by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The agency forecasts Nebraska's corn crop will be 1.90 billion bushels this year, up 10% from last year, exceeding the earlier record set in 2021 by 45 million bushels (Figure 1). Average yield is estimated at 196 bushels per acre. If realized it would also be a new record high. Soybean production is also expected to exceed last year, up 16% to 310 million bushels, but it is not expected to surpass the 2021 record. Soybean yield is pegged at 59 bushels per compared to 51.5 bushels last year.

Other production estimates for Nebraska by NASS include: sorghum at 18.9 million bushels, up 15%; dry edible bean at 2.54 million cwt, up 29%; sugar beets at 1.46 million tons, up 9%; sunflowers at 28.9 million pounds, down 34%; alfalfa hay at 3.72 million tons, up 29%; and all other hay production at 2.38 million tons, down 3%.

FIGURE 1. NEBRASKA CORN & SOYBEAN PRODUCTION (1990-2024)

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service; 2024 figures are from October 1 estimates