USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is conducting its annual Prospective Plantings survey, which involves mailing questionnaires to approximately 84,000 farmers to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season.

Farmers are asked to provide information about the types of crops they intend to plant in 2017, how many acres they intend to plant, and the amounts of grain and oilseed they store on their farms. Farmers can respond either online or by mail.

NASS will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in the annual Prospective Plantings report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released March 31. At that time, what Minnesota farmers plan to grow this growing season will be shared.

Depending on weather and planting estimates, we’ll see if 2017’s yields will match or surpass those tallied in 2016. The state average for corn for grain averaged 190 bushels per acre. The state soybean average was 52.5 bushels per acre.

2016 corn results
The south-central district in Minnesota was the largest corn-producing district in Minnesota in 2016 with 331 million bushels, according to estimates released by the NASS Upper Midwest Field Office. Renville County was the largest corn-producing county with 56.8 million bushels. Martin, Redwood, Faribault and Mower counties rounded out the top five.

Four of the top five yielding counties came out of the south-central district. Nicollet County led all counties with a county average yield of 209.4 bushels per acre. Faribault (208.5), Martin (207.6), Stevens (205.2), and Waseca (204.6) counties rounded out the top five. Fourteen of the published counties surpassed the yield mark of 200 bushels per acre.

2016 soybean results
Last year, five counties produced more than 10 million bushels of soybeans. Polk County led production with 13.2 million bushels, followed by Redwood (11.4 million), Renville (11.1 million), Marshall (10.6 million) and Faribault (10.4 million) counties.

Three districts averaged more than 55 bushels per acre, led by the south-central district, where yields averaged 59.8 bushels per acre. Following close behind were the southeast district (59.7) and the southwest district (58.1).

Statewide, nine counties averaged more than 60 bushels per acre. Faribault County recorded the highest yield in the state, at 64.1 bushels per acre. Rock and Olmsted (61.9), and Nicollet and Wabasha (61.7) counties rounded out the top five yields of the published counties.