LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the Crop Production 2019 Summary today, showing an increase in corn production and a decrease in soybean and tobacco production.
“Too much rain early in the season, and then drought later in the season, kept the 2019 crops from reaching their full potential,” said David Knopf, director of the NASS Eastern Mountain Regional Office in Kentucky. “Yields for corn and soybeans were below 2018 levels. Tobacco yielded much better than the 2018 crop, which was damaged by excessive moisture.”
Corn production in Kentucky is estimated at 245 million bushels, up 15% from the 2018 crop. Yield was estimated at 169 bushels per acre, down 6 bushels from last year. The lower yield was offset by a 19% increase in acres harvested as grain, estimated at 1.45 million acres. The U.S. corn production is estimated at 13.7 billion bushels, up slightly from the November forecast and down 5% from the revised 2018 estimate. The average yield in the United States is estimated at 168.0 bushels per acre. This is 8.4 bushels below the revised 2018 average yield. Area harvested for grain is estimated at 81.5 million acres, up slightly from the revised 2018 acreage.
Soybean production for Kentucky is estimated at 77.7 million bushels, down 21% from 2018. Yield was estimated at 46 bushels per acre, down 5 bushels from a year ago. Acreage for harvest as beans was estimated at 1.69 million acres, down 240,000 acres from the previous year. U.S. soybean production is forecast at 3.56 billion bushels, down 20% from last year. The average yield per acre is estimated at 47.4 bushels, down 3.2 bushels from last year. Area harvested is down 14% from 2018 at 75.0 million acres.
Kentucky burley tobacco production is estimated at 77.9 million pounds, down 3% from 2018. Yield was estimated at 1,900 pounds per acre, up 300 pounds from the 2018 crop. Harvested acreage was estimated at 41,000 acres, down 9,000 acres from last year’s crop. For the burley producing states production is estimated at 92.8 million pounds, down 8% from last year. Burley growers harvested 48,600 acres, down 20% from 2018. Yields were estimated at 1,910 pounds per acre, up 265 pounds from last year.
Production of Kentucky dark fire-cured tobacco is estimated at 27.6 million pounds, down 22% from the previous year. Dark air-cured tobacco production is estimated at 17.9 million pounds, down 6% from last year.
Alfalfa hay production by Kentucky farmers is estimated at 464,000 tons, up 3% the 2018 level. Other hay production is estimated at 3.96 million tons, down 15% from last year.
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