Farmers to plant largest corn crop in Minn. history

    Author:
    Updated:
    Original:

    The U.S. Agriculture Department says Minnesota corn farmers intend to plant 9 million acres this spring, the Pioneer Press reports. That's 4 percent more than last year's record crop.

    Soybean acres in Minnesota are expected to fall 4 percent as more farmers shift to corn.

    The USDA expects farmers nationwide to plant 97.3 million acres of corn this year, the most since the 1930s, according to the Associated Press.

    Last fall, Minnesota farmers produced 1.4 billion bushels -- a 15 percent increase over 2011. The state largely averted the devastating drought conditions that parched other parts of the country.

    Next Up

    Related

    News

    Minn. corn farmers projected to harvest record crop

    Minnesota's cornfields will average 168 bushels an acre this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Pioneer Press reports this would be Minnesota's largest corn crop in state history and make the state the second largest corn producer in the country -- only trailing Iowa.

    News

    Minnesota farmers could face shortage of seed corn

    Major seed companies including, Twin Cities-based Syngenta, saw production fall 15 to 25 percent last summer because of poor weather conditions. The President of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association told MPR the reduced seed supply is starting to cause concerns among farmers eager to plant the high profit commodity.

    News

    High price of corn idles Little Falls ethanol plant

    The Central Minnesota Ethanol Co-Op has suspended operations until they can buy corn or sell ethanol at a better price, the St. Cloud Times reports. The Little Falls plant is using the downtime to complete maintenance and other projects, but most of the 30 employees are out of work.