Ground Truthing

Ground Truthing

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
The 2019 growing season will go down as one of the most challenging planting seasons on record due to spring flooding and persistent rainfall across the Midwest. Planting progress for corn and soybeans was historically delayed, i.e., Crop Planting Delays Reach Historic Levels Resulting in High Levels of Uncertainty for 2019, and current expectations are for prevent plant crop insurance claims to exceed $1 billion and reach a record-high of 10 million acres.

USDA's June World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates recognized the challenges faced in the 2019 crop year and adjusted corn planted acreage down to 89.8 million acres, a reduction of 3 million acres from the department's March estimate, and also reduced the crop yield from 176 bushels per acre to 166 bushels per acre.

USDA reversed course in its annual survey-based June Acreage Report. For the 2019/20 crop year, USDA indicated corn planted area at 91.7 million acres, up 3% or 2.6 million acres from prior-year levels, and down only slightly from March intentions of 92 million acres planted. Importantly, USDA's June corn acreage estimate was up from the June WASDE projection and well above the average pre-report estimate of 86.6 million acres. USDA currently projects corn acres at 91.7 million acres

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