Field crop yields are trending well in Michigan this year, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s October Crop Production Report, based on conditions as of Oct. 1.
“Last year yields were below trendline, so it’s not a huge surprise that yields are expected to be above 2020,” said Theresa Sisung, Michigan Farm Bureau field crops specialist.
Sugarbeets
Michigan sugarbeet growers anticipate a yield of 31.3 tons per acre, up three tons from last year. Production is forecast at 4.76 million tons, an increase of 400,000 tons from 2020, despite a slight drop in planted acres.
Corn
Michigan corn production is forecast at 337 million bushels, up 11% from last year (see table below). Forecasted corn yield of 171 bushels per acre (bpa) is up 18 bushels from last year, but down three bushels from last month’s forecast. The forecasted yields are 5.5 bpa less than the national expected yields.
According to Sisung, the decline in corn yields from last month’s estimate is related to the impact of tar spot that many growers are seeing as they get into harvest.
Dry Beans
Dry bean growers in the state expected their crop to yield 2,600 pounds per acre — a 260-pound-per-acre increase from last year — which would be a record yield if it pans out.
Production, at 5.41 million hundredweight, is down 10 percent from last year due to fewer dry bean acres planted this year.
“Dry bean yields differ greatly depending on region of the state,” Sisung added.
“Growers in the Saginaw Valley and Thumb are reporting really good yields, while growers in the central and western regions of the state are seeing lower yields, partially due to heavy rains early in the growing season.”
Soybeans
While recent regionally heavy rainfall hampered harvest plans in many parts of the state, the overall outlook remains positive.
Michigan’s soybean yield is forecast at 50 bushels per acre, up two bushels from a year ago and unchanged from last month’s forecast. Production is expected to be 107 million bushels, up 2 percent from last year.
Information from Farm News Media (Michigan Farm News)