Allendale Inc. says their 2008 Annual Crop Survey suggests a projected U.S. corn crop this year of 12.090 billion bushels and a soybean crop of 2.818 billion bushels. “This estimate was based on producer-calculated yields from 20 states and was conducted from August 15 until August 29, 2008. This crop survey was started in 1990 by Allendale Inc., a research and brokerage firm located in McHenry IL,” states the company.
For corn, Allendale says the results suggest a corn yield of 152.48 bu. per acre, which puts production at 12.090 billion bushels. This compares to USDA’s August estimate of 155 bu. per acre and a USDA production figure of 12.288 billion bushels. “The highest estimated corn yield of 235 bu. per acre came from Tazewell County, Illinois, while the lowest corn yield came from Nemaha County in Nebraska at 85 bu. per acre. Allendale uses a scale of 1 to 5 for determining the stage of corn development, where 1 equals blister and 5 equals black layer. This year’s farmer driven survey average stage of growth came in at 3.40, which puts it in the Dough/Dent stage. Producers felt the average “Frost Free” date for corn would be September 30,” states Allendale.
Survey results suggested a soybean yield of 38.43 bu. per acre for a total production figure of 2.818 billion bushels. This compares to USDA’s August estimate of 40.5 bu. per acre and production of 2.973 billion bushels. “The highest estimated soybean yield this year came out of Hamilton County Nebraska at 70 bpa. The lowest soybean estimate came from Pottawattamie County Iowa at 10 bushels per acre. Farmers felt the average “Frost Free” date for soybeans would be October 1,” states Allendale.
