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Corn, soybean estimates rise in some places but fall elsewhere

American Agriculturist will continue to update this graphic as USDA numbers roll out each month.

Chris Torres, Editor, American Agriculturist

September 16, 2019

1 Min Read
Landscape view of a recently harvested corn field
HARVEST STARTED: Corn was recently harvested on this dairy farm just south of Lancaster, Pa. USDA raised the corn yield and production estimate for Pennsylvania. Chris Torres

The Sept. 12 updated crop production report from USDA lowers and raises corn and soybean projections for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Most farmers surveyed are reporting higher corn and soybean yields in 2019, but overall production is mixed.

The report lowered corn yield and production estimates for Delaware and Maryland but raised the estimate for Pennsylvania and left New York state unchanged.

Soybean estimates were raised for Delaware and New York; lowered for Maryland; and left unchanged for New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The graphic below illustrates corn and soybean production, and yields, in the four major corn and soybean states of the region in comparison to 2018. We will update it when future reports are released.

USDA Sept. 12, 2019 corn and soybean production report for Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania

The tobacco yield and production estimate for Pennsylvania has also been adjusted. Tobacco is being grown on 5,700 acres with an expected yield of 2,326 pounds and total production of 13.26 million pounds, both raised from the Aug. 12 report.

Overall U.S. corn production is forecast at 13.8 billion bushels, down 1% from August and down 4% from last year. Yields are expected to average 168.2 bushels per acre, down 1.3 bushels from the previous forecast and down 8.2 bushels from 2018.

Soybean production is forecast at 3.63 billion bushels, down 1% from August and down 20% from last year. Yields are expected to average 47.9 bushels per acre, down 0.6 bushels from the previous forecast and down 3.7 bushels from 2018.

About the Author

Chris Torres

Editor, American Agriculturist

Chris Torres, editor of American Agriculturist, previously worked at Lancaster Farming, where he started in 2006 as a staff writer and later became regional editor. Torres is a seven-time winner of the Keystone Press Awards, handed out by the Pennsylvania Press Association, and he is a Pennsylvania State University graduate.

Torres says he wants American Agriculturist to be farmers' "go-to product, continuing the legacy and high standard (former American Agriculturist editor) John Vogel has set." Torres succeeds Vogel, who retired after 47 years with Farm Progress and its related publications.

"The news business is a challenging job," Torres says. "It makes you think outside your small box, and you have to formulate what the reader wants to see from the overall product. It's rewarding to see a nice product in the end."

Torres' family is based in Lebanon County, Pa. His wife grew up on a small farm in Berks County, Pa., where they raised corn, soybeans, feeder cattle and more. Torres and his wife are parents to three young boys.

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