Nebraska’s corn and soybean crops are both expected to set records this fall, according to the latest estimate, but the sorghum and sugar beet estimates are bigger surprises.
The Department of Agriculture said sorghum production of 25.4 million bushels is up 94 percent from a year ago, compared with an 83 percent gain estimated a month ago and 64 percent in September. Area for grain harvest of 240,000 acres is up 50 percent from last year. Record yield is forecast at 106 bushels per acre, up 24 bushels from last year, and up from 100 bushels estimated a month ago.
The sugar beet crop in the Panhandle is expected to grow 1 percent to 1.35 million tons, up 120,000 tons from last month’s estimate, which would have been an 8 percent drop from 2014. USDA also raised acreage and yield estimates on beets.
USDA said the Nebraska corn crop is likely to total 1.68 billion bushels. That would be 4 percent bigger than last year’s corn crop and up from last month’s estimate of 1.66 billion. The average corn yield is predicted to be 187 bushels per acre, up from last year’s 179 bushels per acre, unchanged from last month’s estimate.
The latest predictions are based on conditions across the state on Nov. 1.