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Indiana farmers produce record crops

Salem, Indiana farmer Aaron Lee is seen harvesting popcorn in Sept. 2021. (photo courtesy: NRCS/Brandon O’Connor)

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — Indiana was one of 12 states to grow record corn and soybean crops last year, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In its annual summary of the 2021 crops, USDA said Indiana farmers produced a record average yield of 195 bushels per acre, up 4.3% from the previous year.

Collectively, the state produced just over 1 billion bushels of corn, making Indiana the fifth largest corn producing state in the U.S.

The USDA says Indiana’s statewide yield average for soybeans was also a record, measuring 59.5 bushels per acre, up .8% from the previous year. Statewide soybean production measured 335 million bushels, the fifth most in the U.S. last year.

Nationally, corn production was 15.1 billion bushels, up 7% over 2020. The federal agency says the average U.S. corn yield was a record-high 177 bushels per acre, up 5.6 bushels from the previous year.

In soybeans, total production hit a record 4.4 billion bushels, up 5% from 2020. The average yield per acre was estimated at 51.4 bu., up 0.4 bu. from 2020.

Click here to view the USDA report.