Record spring wheat, corn yields are forecast | Food and Environment Reporting Network

The hard red spring wheat tour of North Dakota concluded with a forecast of an average yield of 48 bushels an acre, a record high, said DTN. “Overall, scouts saw a wheat crop with record yield potential and little disease or pest pressure,” said DTN. It said the crop was maturing later than usual. A cold and rainy spring delayed planting for weeks in the upper Midwest and northern Plains.

Private consultancy Allendale said it expects the U.S. corn yield to average 174.1 bushels an acres, up 6.3 bushels from its previous estimate due to benign weather this month, said AgriMoney. The forecast came one day after Lanworth pegged the yield at 172.8, also pointing to favorable weather in the Corn Belt.

The estimates are far above USDA’s projection of 165.3 bushels an acre, also a record. The mark is 164.7 bushels an acre, set in 2009. USDA projects harvest area of 83.8 million acres. The Lanworth and Allendale forecasts would mean a crop of 14.5-14.6 billion bushels, compared to the 2013 record of 13.925 billion bushels.