AccuWeather 2019 Prediction: Larger Bean, Smaller Corn Crop
STATE COLLEGE, PA – The uncertainty of the 2019 corn and soybean season – caused by rain and flooding early – is reflected in the latest figures released Thursday in the USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report. USDA is estimating that the U.S. soybean crop will hit 3.55 billion bushels, “mainly on lower yields.” If realized, this would be the smallest crop since 2013. For corn, USDA suggests a crop just under 13.8 billion bushels. AccuWeather analysts estimate a domestic soybean crop that is 22 million bushels larger than USDA’s estimate (3.572 billion bushels) while suggesting a corn crop that is 350 million bushels less than the government projection (13.43 billion bushels). Currently, farmers in the northwest Corn Belt are dealing with a storm that has brought snow to the eastern and central portions of the Dakotas, as well as western Minnesota. The storm figures to delay harvesting and affect corn and soybean yield in the area. Across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, corn harvested are at less than 3 percent, according to the USDA’s latest Crop Progress Report. Those same four states are also substantially behind in soybeans harvested, with North Dakota at just 8 percent compared to a five-year average of 48 percent.