State corn and soybean harvests forecast at record levels

ST. PAUL (AP) -- At a time when prices are relatively high, Minnesota farmers are expected to harvest record corn and soybean crops this year, the Minnesota Agricultural Statistics Service said Friday.

Prices are up for the state's two most important crops because production is down nationally. The corn harvest nationally is expected to drop to its lowest level since 1995, while the soybean harvest is forecast to be its lowest since 1999.

Minnesota's corn production is forecast at a record 1.034 billion bushels, up 47.6 million bushels from the September forecast and up 850,000 bushels from the record 1998 harvest. The yield forecast is 152 bushels per acre, up seven bushels from the September forecast and up 22 bushels from last year.

The state's soybean production is forecast at a record 303.6 million bushels, up 6.9 million bushels from the September forecast and up 37.2 million bushels from last year's production. The yield was forecast at a record 44 bushels per acre, up one bushel from last month's estimate and up two bushels from the previous record yield in 1998 and 1999.

Minnesota's sugarbeet crop is estimated at 8.81 million tons, up 3 percent from September and up 13 percent from 2001. Yield was estimated at 19.2 tons per acre, up from 0.5 ton in September and up 0.9 ton from last year's yield.

Dry bean production is forecast at 2.31 million hundredweight, up 47 percent from last year. Yield is forecast at 1,650 pounds per acre, up 10 percent from last year.

Sunflower production is forecast at 90 million pounds, up 21 percent from 2001. Yield is forecast at 1,500 pounds per acre, compared with 1,325 pounds per acre last year.

On the Net:

Minnesota Agricultural Statistics Service: http://www.nass.usda.gov/mn