USDA Pegs Illinois #1 for Soybeans, #2 for Corn Output

BY DANIEL GRANT, FARMWEEK

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service final crop production estimates for 2021 confirm a binbuster harvest.

But, strong demand estimates coupled with production issues elsewhere in the world could keep the pressure on prices.

Nationwide, soybean production totaled a record 4.44 billion bushels (up 5% from 2020) with an average yield of 51.4 bushels per acre (up .4 of a bushel). Corn production was estimated at 15.11 billion bushels (up 7% from 2020 and the second-largest on record) with a record yield of 177 bushels per acre.

In Illinois, soybean production totaled 672 million bushels with an average yield of 64 bushels per acre (up 4 from 2020). Both are tops in the nation and the yield is a new state record, surpassing the previous mark of 63.5 bushels recorded in 2018.

Corn production in Illinois finished at 2.19 billion bushels (second-highest in the nation behind Iowa) with an average yield of 202 bushels per acre (up 21 bushels from the previous year and second-highest in the Corn Belt). It’s the second-highest corn yield average in history in Illinois, behind the current record of 210 bushels in 2018.