- High temperatures this summer exacerbated drought conditions in the U.S. West and the country’s Great Plains.
- Intense heat in states such as Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma set in as corn crops were pollinating in many parts of the Grain Belt, when the plants require the most water.
- Some corn crops were also planted late this year after a wet spring, causing some yield loss, according to agriculture analysts.
- The U.S. Agriculture Department on Sept. 12 lowered its nationwide corn-production estimate to 13.9 billion bushels, 3% lower than its August projection, and 8% below 2021’s total.
- Soybean-production estimates this month were down 3% from a record projection in August, and down slightly from a year earlier. A
- griculture advisory firm Professional Farmers of America Inc. last month cut its outlook for corn yields by 13% in Nebraska and 22% in South Dakota, compared with last year.
