The U-S-D-A estimates Iowa farmers’ will have harvested 1.9 billion bushels of corn this season when all the combining’s done — the second-highest Iowa corn harvest ever. The average yield per acre is 160 bushels, a record. Iowa State University grain market analyst Robert Wisner says the soybean crop in Iowa was “mediocre” with a state average yield of 46 bushels per acre, which he says is good but not outstanding. Wisner says the corn crop is well-below demand, so the reserve or “carry-over” supply of corn should dip down to the bare minimum in coming months. Wisner says that means the price of corn will be 20 to 30 percent higher than normal. If there are any severe weather threats next growing season, corn prices will be even higher. Soybean supplies are even leaner, and rationing may start in late spring and summer.
