U.S. corn production records were shattered in 2009 as seed technology, and efficiency continue to improve the way corn growers do their job. On January 12 USDA announced that U.S. farmers pulled off the largest corn and soybean crops on record, according to the Crop Production 2009 Summary released by USDA's National Ag Statistics Service.

Corn production for 2009 is estimated by USDA to be a staggering 13.2 billion bushels, nearly 10% higher than the 2008 crop year. Most impressive is that even with nationwide weather challenges from hail, too much rain and then snow as farmers were still trying to finish harvesting in late fall, the U.S. corn yield average reached an all-time high in 2009 at 165.2 bushels per acre,. That's well above the previous record of 160.3 bushels per acre set in 2004.

Big 2009 corn crop refutes the "food vs. fuel" argument

 "With those production numbers, nationwide corn production would be equal to three-fourths of a trillion pounds," says Tim Burrack, a farmer from northeast Iowa and chairman of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. "With the U.S population at 304 million, that's enough corn for every person in the U.S. to consume 2,431 pounds of corn; plenty for all food, feed, fuel and fiber needs. This once again demonstrates that the food versus fuel argument is completely false."

In Iowa, where corn is a champion in the fields, corn production numbers are up. Iowa farmers produced a record 2.44 billion bushels of corn, or nearly 19% of the nation's total harvest in 2009. The state's average yield of 182 bushels per acre beat the old record for Iowa, set in 2004, by one bushel. But, not all the corn is on the barge, in the bin, or on the rail cars. In parts of Iowa, some corn remains standing in the snow, still in the field waiting for a combine.

 "The staggering numbers released this past week for 2009 in USDA's annual crop summary report are a true reflection of the value of the new genetic traits and the corn hybrids that are now available to farmers," says Burrack, who experienced one of the latest harvest seasons in his 37 years of farming. "Never underestimate the capacity of the corn grower to produce under even the most challenging weather conditions."

Iowa Soybean Association responds to USDA crop report

Iowa Soybean Association president Delbert Christensen points out that Iowa and the U.S. both harvested a big bean crop in 2009. According to the USDA's January 12 crop report, soybean production in the U.S. for 2009 is pegged at a record high 3.361 billion bushels, up from the November 2009 USDA projection of 3.319 billion bushels and up 8% from the 2008 crop.

For Iowa, soybean production is estimated at 486 million bushels for 2009, compared to 449.6 million in 2008. Yield estimate is for an average of 51 bushels per acre for Iowa. These 2009 Iowa soybean production and yield estimates, as part of the January 12, 2010, USDA crop summary report, are unchanged from the last crop production report USDA issued, which was in November.

Also, when releasing its 2009 annual crop summary report on January 12, USDA said it will resurvey corn and soybean acreage, yield, production and stocks. The agency says it may release its updated forecasts based on this updated survey information in its March 10, 2010 report. USDA is doing the re-surveying because of late harvests in several states in 2009, say USDA officials.

USDA is re-surveying farmers to update the "final" 2009 estimates

USDA also raised soybean exports 35 million bushels and the crush 15 million bushels. Soybean ending stocks are estimated at 245 million bushels, which is above trade expectations of 235 million bushels but down 10 million bushels from the December 2009 USDA report.

According to Christensen, who farms near Audubon in western Iowa, "This report on 2009 soybean production is not really a surprise. The end of harvest season weather was good for soybeans. The good news is that farmers this fall and into winter have had opportunities to sell soybeans at strong prices."

"Some additional good news is that we continue to see very strong export numbers," says Christensen. "China's economy in particular had amazing 8% growth over the last two quarters in one of the toughest economic years since the Great Depression, and that will most likely continue to adjust upwards in 2010. Continued strong international demand and some signs of gradual improvement in the domestic livestock demand could impact the final numbers on demand."

The big question remaining is whether the South American crop is as large as many are predicting. "Brazil and Argentina are now entering a key period in their growing season and weather can still have a big impact over the next 30 to 60 days," says Kirk Leeds, CEO of the ISA. "As we've been saying consistently, these times require a balanced approach by checkoff-funded  organizations such as ours. Our farmers must continue to raise yields and decrease costs and, at the same time, build short-term and long-term demand."