[h=3]By JIM SUHR, Associated Press[/h]Updated
ST. LOUIS – The federal government says corn growers could end up with their lowest average yield in 17 years as the drought continues to take its toll.
A combine harvests corn near Altheimer, Ark., in this July 16, 2012 photo.
The U.S. Agriculture Department is slashing its projected U.S. corn production to 10.8 billion bushels. That's down from its forecast last month of close to 13 billion bushels and 13% lower than last year. That also would be the lowest production since 2006.
The USDA says it expects corn growers to average 123.4 bushels per acre, down 24 bushels from last year. That would be the lowest average yield since 1995.
Soybean production is now forecast at 2.69 billion bushels, a 12% decline from last year. Expected yields on average of 36.1 bushels per acre would be the lowest since 2003.
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ST. LOUIS – The federal government says corn growers could end up with their lowest average yield in 17 years as the drought continues to take its toll.
By Danny Johnston, AP
A combine harvests corn near Altheimer, Ark., in this July 16, 2012 photo.
A combine harvests corn near Altheimer, Ark., in this July 16, 2012 photo.
The U.S. Agriculture Department is slashing its projected U.S. corn production to 10.8 billion bushels. That's down from its forecast last month of close to 13 billion bushels and 13% lower than last year. That also would be the lowest production since 2006.
The USDA says it expects corn growers to average 123.4 bushels per acre, down 24 bushels from last year. That would be the lowest average yield since 1995.
Soybean production is now forecast at 2.69 billion bushels, a 12% decline from last year. Expected yields on average of 36.1 bushels per acre would be the lowest since 2003.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to [email protected]. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.