EIF-A_Lasting Contributions

Ag Bytes
reach. “This season will be full of exclusive
episodes only available via CropsTV,
all with the same flexibility in selecting
interesting topics to watch on a flexible
schedule.”
Registration for CropsTV is $100 and
includes 35 pre-recorded episodes, up to
25.5 CCA credits, and access to program
and reference materials. For more information,
visit www.aep.iastate.edu/cropstv.
For questions, contact ANR Program Services
at 515-294-9487, or email cropstv@
iastate.edu.
Iowa’s crops strong
despite drought
Despite 2023 ending as the state’s 22nd
driest year on record, with eight of the 12
months registering below normal precipitation
and persistent drought continuing for a
record 184 consecutive weeks and counting,
Iowa farmers produced a historically
strong corn and soybean crop.
At 201 bushels per acre and 2.52 billion
bushels of production, last year’s Iowa
corn crop ranked as the fourth highest yield
and fifth largest production in state history
and helped drive the national corn yield
and production to all-time record levels.
The state’s soybean crop came in at 58
bushels per acre and 573 million bushels
of production, the fourth highest yield and
third highest production in Iowa history,
contributing to the country’s fourth highest
yield and seventh largest soybean crop
ever.
Those statistics were part of the 2023
Iowa Crop Production Annual Summary
released by the USDA National Agricultural
Statistics Service. The national summary
and state summaries are released in
January each year.
“Even with all the weather challenges
last year, Iowa remained a production
powerhouse and that’s a testament to the
assistance of timely rains, the resiliency
of Iowa farmers, and continuous improvements
in genetics, traits, equipment,
technology, production methods and many
other innovations,” said Iowa Secretary of
Agriculture Mike Naig.
In the United States, corn production in
2023 was estimated at a record high 15.3
billion bushels, up 12 percent from the
2022 estimate. The average yield in the
United States was estimated at a record
high 177.3 bushels per acre, 3.9 bushels
above the 2022 yield of 173.4 bushels per
acre. Area harvested for grain was estimated
at 86.5 million acres, up 10 percent
from the 2022 estimate.
Soybean production in 2023 totaled
4.16 billion bushels, down 2 percent from
2022. The average yield per acre was
estimated at 50.6 bushels, up 1.0 bushel
from 2022. Harvested area, at 82.4 million
acres, was down 4 percent from last year.
The complete report can be found on
the USDA NASS website at www.nass.
usda.gov/Publications.
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