It was the third largest yield for corn in Ohio
Final numbers show the 2011 corn and wheat crop in Ohio did well despite less than ideal weather.
Farmers were forced to wait for brief dry bouts to plant on waterlogged fields this past spring, experienced a hot, dry summer and most recently experienced rainfall throughout the fall making it exceedingly difficult to harvest their crops. In many parts of the state, some farmers waited for the ground to freeze to complete their harvest.
The 2011 harvest was the third-most plentiful yield on record for Ohio’s corn. Jack Irvin with the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association says improved seed technology as well as use of GPS when planting and harvesting crops has helped increase yields even in less than ideal growing years.
Ohio's 2011 average corn yield is estimated at 158 bushels per acre, which is a decrease of 5 bushels from the previous year. Producers harvested 3.22 million acres for grain this past year, compared to 3.27 million acres in 2010. Ohio’s total production of 508.8 million bushels is only 5 percent less than the 2010 total.
The U.S. corn for grain production is estimated at 12.4 billion bushels, only 1 percent less than 2010. The average U.S. yield for 2011 is estimated at 147.2 bushels per acre. Area harvested for grain is estimated at 84.0 million acres, an increase of 3 percent from 2010.
Irvin says prices are up, but so are farmers' costs.
