2005 Year in Review

Illinois #1 Soybean Producer for 2nd Straight Year

2004 was a record-breaking year for both corn and soybeans. Illinois leads the nation in soybean production for the second year in a row, and ranks number two in corn production, Illinois Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke announced. The figures, released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its 2004 Crop Production Report, also show Illinois posting record corn and soybean yields.

According to the report, Illinois produced 499,950,000 bushels of soybeans, compared to Iowa’s 497,350,000 bushels. Illinois soybeans yielded 50.5 bushels an acre, up 13 bushels from 2003 and five more than the 45.5 –bushel record set in 1994. Illinois corn yielded 180 bushels per acre, up 16 from the 164-bushel record set in 2003.

“The record yield and top production numbers are the result of several factors,” Hartke said. “Great growing temperatures in cool weather and rain at the right times in the growing season coupled with some of the richest soil and most experienced farmers in the nation. 2004 proved to be a phenomenal year for Illinois farmers.”

Overall, production report figures show U.S. farmers producing more corn and soybeans in 2004. Corn production nationwide hit 11.8 billion bushels, up 17 percent from the 10.1 billion bushels produced in 2003. The average corn yield was 160.4 bushels per acre, up from 142.2 in 2003. Both corn production and yield estimates for 2004 are the largest on record.

Nationwide, soybean production totaled 3.14 billion bushels, the largest in U.S. history. The average U.S. soybean yield was 42.5 bushels per acre, 6.8 bushels higher than the 2003 average yield.

For more detailed crop production information, the USDA 2004 Crop Production Summary can be found at Summary

by  Editor, theCity1.com
January 18, 2005