WASDE: Corn Growers Harvest 11.112 Billion Bushels in 2005 (1-13-06)

Despite economic and environmental challenges, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) salutes U.S. growers for their efforts in 2005, as they successfully produced an 11.112 billion bushel corn crop. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) yesterday, announcing the final projections for corn productions, placing the 2005 harvest as the second largest on record.

“NCGA’s member and corn growers around the nation should be proud of this significant accomplishment,” said Gerald Tumbleson, NCGA president. “This is the third consecutive year we have topped at least 140 bushels per acre, and we look forward to continuing that trend in 2006.”

The January WASDE report pegged total use at 10.81 billion bushels, another record. In this report, USDA increased feed and residual use to 6 billion bushels and Food, Seed and Industrial usage to 2.96 billion bushels. The report projected a 50 million bushel decline in exports, from 1.9 million to 1.85 billion, and a 7 million bushel increase in carry-out, from 2.418 to 2.425 billion. The slight increase in production came from an increase in both planted and harvested acreage, 81.8 and 75.1 million acres, respectively. USDA had a minor reduction in final average yield estimates to 147.9.

Last year, corn growers averaged 160.4 bushels per acre.