Despite drought, Minnesota corn farmers helped U.S. to record 2023 harvest

Another wacky weather year failed to break corn growers' collective stride in Minnesota, where farmers put 1.51 billion bushels in bins for a 4% increase from 2022. Nationwide, 2023's harvest turned out to be a corn coronation, as the farmers saw a record harvest of 177.3 bushels per acre, according to a U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA) report released at the end of last week. In Minnesota, a wet spring that delayed planting gave way to scorching sun in June and little water through the State Fair. According to a separate report from the USDA, by Jan. 1 of this year, roughly 30% of the state's topsoil remained "short" or "very short" of moisture.

Still, Minnesota farmers planted some 690,000 more acres of corn than 2022, while silage volumes dropped by 33%. Overall, that equates to about 8.6 million acres of planted corn across the state. "We did have about 10 bushels an acre less than last year," said Dana Allen Tully, president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and an Eyota dairy farmer.

"I think there was maybe more areas impacted by drought, but it was so spotty." Sugar beets also saw a record breaking haul , piling up 12.6 million tons, an increase of 13% from the prior year. The state's wheat farmers also planted more acres in 2023, harvesting 78 million tons in total.

But the state's soybean harvest — Minnesota's second biggest crop — came in lower than previous years, down 5% from 2022 to 349 million bushels. Commodity prices were softer in 2023 than those years in and immediately following the pandemic. While corn farmers across the country took an average of $6 a bushel on corn in 2022, they'll now earn an average price of $4.80, according to the USDA's 2023 2024 January projections.

Heading into the new year, farmers might be more frugal about big ticket equipment purchases, given the moderate prices. "We're OK as an industry," Allen Tully said. "But I think we're going to tighten our belt this year.".