By DOUG SCHMITZ
Iowa Correspondent

JOHNSTON, Iowa — According to the USDA’s June 29 Planted Acreage Report, Iowa corn growers are on the cusp of harvesting the biggest acreage ever, the second highest Iowa corn planting on record – just 100,000 acres shy of 1981’s 14.4 million.

“I’m excited by this crop report,” said Sidney corn producer Darrell McAlexander, who is on the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB), in a June 29 teleconference with Iowa farm reporters. “We’ve caught a lot of flack about wondering if we were going to be able to produce enough corn to provide the food for the livestock industry and exports, and the growing ethanol industry.

“It looks to me like Iowa corn growers have stepped up to the plate there. They’re definitely trying to produce the grain that’s going to be needed in the marketplace.”

The report stated United States farmers planted 92.9 million acres of corn in 2007, exceeding last year’s planted area by 19 percent and surpassing the March projection by three percent. The report said the actual planted acreage was the highest since 1944, when farmers planted 95.5 million corn acres.

In addition, the report said Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and North Dakota also set records, with Iowa continuing to lead all states in total corn acres.

According to the same USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) report, 14.3 million acres of corn were planted in Iowa, which is a 13.5 percent increase from last year and 3.2 percent higher than the March acreage estimate.

Based on data collected from May 25, the report said acreage estimates for corn harvested for grain were at 13.95 million acres and is predicted to hit a record high. Iowa’s largest previous crop was 2.2 billion bushels, harvested from 12.4 million acres in 2004.
March 1 estimates indicated that Iowa farmers intended to plant 13.9 million acres of corn for all purposes, which was up 1.30 million acres from 2006.

Assuming a state average yield of 176 bushels per acre, Mindy Williamson, Iowa Corn Growers Assoc. (ICGA) communications director, said that could mean a “bin-busting Iowa crop of almost 2.5 billion bushels this fall. Nationwide, the corn crop could top 12.8 billion bushels.”

Anamosa corn grower Gary Edwards said the report was “refreshing” after all the questions raised earlier this year about corn supplies. “This shows Iowa’s farmers are responding to the market to meet the needs of livestock producers, export customers, and the ethanol industry,” said Edwards, who’s also an ICGA officer and sells his crop to processors and exporters.

Edwards, whose primary market is the Mississippi River for exports as well as for ethanol production, said the conditions in Linn County – where he farms near Cedar Rapids – have been “pretty much ideal all spring.

“We started off a little wet in April so we were just a few days late getting started. But the temperature has been extremely warm and so the crop has come on like gangbusters,” he said. “We were a little dry, then went to a little wet, then nothing really harmed the crop to any extent, and above normal. I would say our crop is probably maybe five days ahead of schedule at this point.”

Edwards added that the majority of farmers in his area are 75-100 percent planted in corn. When he recently drove from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines, he said he had seen a lot more corn than he’s seen in the past.

For Edwards, the crop report, which was released the same day as the USDA’s Quarterly Hogs & Pigs Report, was really no surprise to him. “In my area, the majority of the farmers are at least three-quarters corn; some are 100 percent corn this year,” he said. “Windshield time between Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, I’ve seen a lot more corn then I ever have in the past.

“The report was about what I expected. The growing conditions are probably a little bit better than what I expected,” he said. “I think we’re in fine shape for a record crop this year.”

Nationwide, growers also expect improved yields to increase the corn supply. McAlexander said this is the result of the role biotechnology is playing in improved production – especially with the USDA report indicating strong export demand.

“It’s a godsend to the consumer and the farmer, because we’re producing more corn off each acre to supply the livestock and ethanol industries,” he said.

McAlexander added that biotechnology has allowed him to use no-till farming methods that reduce erosion, improve soil condition and help corn plants perform better under drought conditions.
“[But] we’ve experienced a lot of rain in May. We had about 11 inches of rain, so we had some difficulty planting, some replanting,” he said. “The corn here is starting to tassel. We’ve got corn from the top of your boot to tasseling.”

Edwards said he predicted the ongoing demand market would mean continued volatility in corn prices.

The USDA report also stated Iowa soybeans planted and to be planted was estimated at 8.8 million acres in 2007, down 1.35 million from last year, which would be the lowest Iowa soybean plantings since 1994 and the largest year-to-year reduction on record.

This farm news was published in the July 25, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.