Yankee Ingenuity on the Farm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture yesterday released a stunning set of projections for America’s corn harvest that may come as a surprise to critics who have recently been decrying the land use implications of ethanol
production.
According to the USDA, American farmers will likely plant 5.6 million FEWER acres of corn this year than they
did in 2007. In fact, the corn acreage forecast for 2017 (the last year included in the baseline projection) is still more than a million acres below last year’s level.
But here’s the real kicker: While the total acreage devoted to corn is not projected to rise, corn yields are
expected to go up steadily. USDA projects that farmers will get an average of 155.3 bushels per acre this year, 157.3 bushels in 2009, 159.3 bushels in 2010, and so on… By 2017, they are expected to get 173.3 bushels per acre.
That’s Yankee ingenuity at work on the farm.
Sources:
“Corn-Yield Expectations Rise, While Acreage Is Seen Falling,” by Bill Tomson, Wall Street Journal, February
13, 2008.
USDA Long-term Projections, February 2008.
