MN Corn Yields Expected to be Best in Midwest - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

Many Minnesota corn farmers made it through the national drought quite well. They're expected to have the best crop in the Midwest. This year has the potential to be better than last years harvest in Minnesota by about 7 percent.

Most U-S corn farmers have been struggling with their crops this year due to the lack of rain. Overall production is forecast to fall nearly 13 percent compared to last year.

Jonathon Aal of Peterson Farm Seed knows most of the country isn't fairing so well, "Nebraska there's a lot of challenges there. Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, those are top producing states for corn and we hear challenges in all of those."

But across most of Minnesota, things are looking up. Aal says many farmers are a couple weeks away from harvesting and about 3 to 4 weeks ahead of schedule. A nice change says Aal, after years of wet harvests. "This is very good, we're a bit on the dryer side but the prices are good, the yields look to be better than average, and there's good conditions looking to harvest."

Nationally corn yields are expected to average out at about 123 bushels an acre, that's the lowest national average for yields since 1995. But much of North Dakota and most of Minnesota are doing quite well. Aal knows the harvest is still weeks out but right now local farmers are feeling fortunate, "we're pretty blessed in that sense the fact that with the lack of moisture we've had, that the crop is looking as good as it could. Where as in years past we've battled with a lot of wet fields and too much moisture, it's a nice change."

When it's all said and done, Minnesota farmers are expected to harvest nearly 156 bushels per acre, that's nearly the same as last year but it would be the highest yield in the Midwest. Which would translate to farmers cashing in on high prices.

Last year North Dakota corn farmers averaged about 120 bushels per acre, this year it's estimated that farmers will harvest about 100 bushels per acre.