WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. — U.S. 2010 corn production was forecast at 12.54 billion bushels, down 1% from 12.664 billion bushels forecast in October and down 4% from a record 13.11 billion bushels in 2009, and soybean production was forecast at a record 3.375 billion bushels, also down 1% from 3.408 billion bushels forecast in October but up slightly from 3.359 billion bushels last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in its Nov. 9 Crop Production report.

U.S. 2010 all wheat production was estimated at 2.208 billion bushels, down 1% from the USDA’s Sept. 30 Small Grains 2010 Summary and down slightly from 2.218 billion bushels in 2009. Other spring wheat production was estimated at 616 million bushels, down 2% from September but up 5% from 584 million bushels in 2009.


Durum production was revised to 107 million bushels, down 4% from September and down 2% from 109 million bushels last year. The USDA resurveyed growers in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming because of the later-than-normal harvest.

The USDA production numbers were below the average pre-report trade estimates of 12.545 billion bushels for corn and 3.426 billion bushels for soybeans.

Based on Nov. 1 conditions, corn yield was forecast at 154.3 bushels an acre, down 1.5 bushels from the October forecast and 10.4 bushels below the 2009 record of 164.7 bushels an acre, the USDA said. Corn area harvested for grain in 2010 was forecast at 81.3 million acres, unchanged from October and up 2% from 2009, the USDA said.

Soybean yield based on Nov. 1 conditions was forecast to average 43.9 bushels an acre, down 0.5 bushel from October and 0.1 bushel below the record high of 44 bushels in 2009. Harvested area was forecast at 76.8 million unchanged from October but up 1% from 2009.