September 3, 2009
Ohio corn, soy crops seen to set yield record
Ohio's corn and soy growers appear poised to harvest a record crop this fall due to ample rain and cool temperatures, according to Ohio State University Extension officials.
The state's average corn yield is projected to be 165 bushels per acre. That would shatter the old record of 159 bushels per acre in 2006.
According to OSU Extension agronomist Peter Thomison, relatively cool summer nights benefits the corn crop by promoting a longer "grain-fill period" but the crop likely is to mature and dry more slowly, potentially meaning a later harvest.
The state's average soy yield is projected to be 47 bushels per acre, which would tie the record set in 2004, 2006 and 2007.
The average yield of the state's winter wheat crop, which already has been harvested, was estimated at 71 bushels per acre, just one bushel shy of the record of 72 bushels set in 2000.
