Minnesota's corn farmers are still expected to post a record crop this year, even as bad weather in other states led government statisticians Friday to lower expectations for the national harvest.
The dandy Minnesota corn crop is emblematic of a bountiful harvest across the state's farm fields this year, from soybeans to dry beans to sunflowers. A mild spring, which led to early planting, combined with good weather all summer to benefit farmers.
And some big storms that roared through southern Minnesota late last month appear to have done little damage. "This year, the growing season has been very good," said Douglas Hartwig, direct of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Minnesota field office for statistics.
The state's soybean production is forecast to be a record 329 million bushels this year, up 16 percent from 2009, according to USDA data released Friday. State soybean yields per acre are expected to be up by five bushels, too.
"There is an unbelievable amount of soybeans coming into elevators right now," said Kurt Krueger, a Rothsay farmer and head of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. The state is the nation's third-largest soybean grower.
South-central Minnesota, a key soybean growing area, got blasted with rain and floods in the last week of September. But soybean yields are still strong in that area, Krueger said. "What they are telling me is the crop is still definitely good."
Nationally, soybean production also is expected to reach a record high this year, according to the USDA. Meanwhile, U.S. corn production is forecast to fall about 3 percent from last year's record crop, although Minnesota's harvest is expected to be up 3 percent.
Minnesota is the nation's fourth-largest corn producer, and corn is the state's largest crop by acreage planted and bushels harvested.
