Improved Yields Level Missouri’s Crop Production Forecast

Stronger yields for this year’s cash crops could have Missouri production roughly in line with a year ago.  USDA’s monthly Crop Production report indicates that Missouri farmers should harvest 288.2 million bushels of soybeans this fall.  If realized, it would be a decrease of just 0.8 percent, as yield is forecast to increase by one bushel per acre from a year ago to 51.  Harvested acreage is slated to decrease 160,000 acres to 5.65 million.

A similar situation is playing out with rice production in the Bootheel.  While harvested acreage is projected to drop 20,000 acres to 194,000, yield was revised upward from last month’s forecast to a new prediction of 8000 pounds per acre.  That has production falling by just 200,000 pounds to 1.55 billion.  Also in the Bootheel, cotton production is set to increase 24 percent to 850,000 bales.  Yield was also revised higher to 1316 pounds per acre, equal to almost 2.75 bales.  Harvested area could total 310,000 acres, eight percent more than a year ago.

Despite a downward revision in projected yield, Missouri corn harvest should still improve on last year’s totals.  An estimated 571.2 million bushels should be harvested this fall, up 1.8 percent from a year ago.  Yield was downgraded two bushels per acre from the August forecast to 169, with harvested acreage set to increase 100,000 acres to 3.38 million.