Source: NCDA&CS, 9/19/17

The latest USDA crop production report for North Carolina is still showing very good news about the state’s corn and cotton crops.

The state corn yield is now forecast to tie the record of 142 bushels per acre, which was set in 2013.

The average cotton yield is projected to be 980 pounds per acre, and total production is now forecast at 745,000 bales. That’s a 117 percent increase from last year.

The last time the cotton crop topped 700,000 bales in North Carolina was 2014, when farmers produced 995,000 bales. Since then, Commissioner Troxler says, a combination of low prices and bad weather has hampered cotton production in the state.

The USDA report says the state’s peanut yield also is going to be strong, at 4,100 pounds per acre. That number hasn’t changed since the August report. And total production is still forecast to be about 484 million pounds, a 42 percent bump over last year.

Soybean yields are forecast to average 38 bushels per acre, up three bushels from last year. And we’re looking at production of 63.5 million bushels, which is 9 percent higher than last year.

The outlook for flue-cured tobacco improved from August to September, with the yield now projected to be 2,300 pounds per acre and total production expected to be about 375 million pounds. That’s a 14 percent increase over 2016’s production.