South Dakota Ag Connection - S.D. Corn Down 22 Percent; Sorghum Yield a Record

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S.D. Corn Down 22 Percent; Sorghum Yield a Record
South Dakota Ag Connection - 10/11/2019

Based on October 1 conditions, South Dakota's 2019 corn production is forecast at 604 million bushels, down 22 percent from last year's production, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Area to be harvested for grain, at 3.92 million acres, is down 19 percent from a year ago. Yield is forecast at 154 bushels per acre, down 6 bushels from last year.

Sorghum for grain is forecast at 14.9 million bushels, down 7 percent from last year. Area for harvest, at 180,000 acres, is down 10 percent from 2018. Yield is forecast at a record 83 bushels per acre, up 3 bushels from last year. Soybean production is a record forecast at 153 million bushels, down 39 percent from last year. Area for harvest, at 3.56 million acres, is 36 percent below 2018. Yield is forecast at 43 bushels per acre, down 2.0 bushels from last year.

All sunflower production is forecast at 913 million pounds, down 6 percent from last year. Acreage for harvest, at 515,000 acres, is down 10,000 acres from 2018. Yield is forecast at 1,773 pounds per acre, down 67 pounds per acre from a year ago. Of the acres for harvest, nonoil sunflowers account for 45,000 acres and oil sunflowers account for 470,000 acres.

Alfalfa hay production, at 4.86 million tons, is up 29 percent from last year. Area for harvest, at 1.80 million acres, is up 3 percent from a year ago. Yield of 2.70 tons per acre, is up 0.55 ton from 2018. All other hay production, at 2.47 million tons, is up 22 percent from last year. Areavfor harvest, at 1.45 million acres, is down 3 percent from a year ago. Yield of 1.70 tons per acre, is up 0.35 ton from 2018.

All forecasts in this report are based on conditions as of October 1, 2019 and assume normal weather for the remainder of the growing season. Data were not adjusted to account for any potential departures from normal between now and harvest.

As is done every year in October, planted and harvested acreage estimates were reviewed for corn, sorghum, soybeans, and sunflower and updated as needed based on all available data, including the latest certified acreage data from the Farm Service Agency (FSA). All States in the estimating program for these crops were subject to review and updating.

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