WILLMAR -- As expected, USDA's crop production report finds that farmers in Minnesota harvested lower yields for corn and soybeans in 2011.
According to the report, which was released this morning, Minnesota averaged 156 bushels of corn per acre in 2011, well behind the 177 bushels per acre in 2010. Soybean harvest was 38.5 bushels per acre, down from 2010 yields of 45 bushels per acre.
The state's sugar beet crop averaged 19 tons of beets per acre, also well behind the 2010 yields of 26.6 tons per acre.
The state produced 1.2 billion bushels of corn, 270 million bushels of soybean and 479,000 tons of beets in 2011.
Nationally, USDA estimated corn for grain production at 12.4 billion bushels, with a national yield of 147.2 bushels, 5.6 bushels below the 2010 average yield of 152.8 bushels.
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The national soybean crop was 3.06 billion bushels, with the average yield per acre at 41.5 bushels, 2 bushels below last year's yield.
Iowa's corn yielded an average of 182 bushels, with 2.35 billion bushels produced in 2011. The state's soybean crop was 466 million bushels, with average yields of 50.5 bushels per acre.
