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| According to USDA, 5 percent of this year’s expected
record corn crop has been harvested. |
Harvest Well Under Way in States Across the Country, USDA Says (9-14-04)
It’s that time of year again.
The familiar roar of the combine has returned to fields throughout the Corn
Belt and harvest is officially under way. According
to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop report released Monday, 5 percent
of the corn crop is already in the bin.
This fall’s harvest is 1 percentage point behind last year’s pace
and 2 percentage points off the five-year average. Texas growers have already
harvested 62 percent of the state’s corn crop, according to USDA’s
crop progress report released Monday. North Carolina farmers have cut 56 percent
of the state’s crop, while the harvest in Tennessee is 32 percent complete.
Harvest is also well under way in Kentucky, Kansas, Missouri and Pennsylvania.
And USDA reports combines are rolling as far north as Nebraska, Illinois and
Indiana.
The condition of the corn crop remained relatively unchanged from a week ago,
with 69 percent of the crop in good or excellent condition. Ninety-five percent
of the crop has reached the dough stage, while 75 percent is dented.
The U.S. corn crop could reach 11
billion bushels for the first time in history, according to USDA’s September crop production report. Yields are expected
to average 149.4 bushels per acre, a 7.2 bushel increase from last year’s
record yield of 142.2 bushels per acre.