USDA Forecasts Lower for Corn

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA has lower forecasts this month for corn production, supplies, exports, and ending stocks.

The August Crop Production report from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimates corn production down 5% from last year, forecast at 14.4 billion bushels while soybean growers are expected to increase their production by two percent from 2021 to 4.53 billion bushels.

In this month’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, the 2022/23 U.S. corn outlook is for lower supplies, reduced feed and residual use, slightly higher food, seed, and industrial use, smaller exports, and lower ending stocks. Projected beginning stocks for 2022/23 are 20 million bushels higher based on a lower use forecast for 2021/22, where a reduction in corn used for ethanol is partially offset by greater use for glucose and dextrose.

The season’s first survey-based corn yield forecast, at 175.4 bushels per acre, is 1.6 bushels below last month’s projection. Total U.S. corn use for 2022/23 is reduced 45 million bushels to 14.5 billion. Feed and residual use is lowered 25 million bushels based on a smaller crop. Corn used for glucose and dextrose is projected higher based on observed use during 2021/22. Exports for 2022/23 are cut 25 million bushels to 2.4 billion. With supply falling more than use, ending stocks are lowered 82 million bushels to 1.4 billion. The season-average corn price received by producers is unchanged at $6.65 per bushel.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Feed, USDA