NASS Final Estimates: Arkansas Shows Records For All Major Crops
JONESBORO, ARK.
Arkansas’ farmers can’t be blamed if they seem optimistic going into the 2014 growing season, having set records in five crops, according to final figures released Friday by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The final production estimates for Arkansas state average yields show:
• Corn at 187 bushels per acre, a new record.
• Sorghum at 102 bushels per acre, a new record.
• Rice in at 168 bushels per acre, a new record
• Soybeans at 43.5 bushels an acre is a new record and
• Cotton at 1,149 pounds per acre is also a new record.
It’s the second straight year for record state average yields in corn, rice and soybeans for Arkansas.
The corn estimate was well up from a NASS estimate in the fall of a 175-bushel-per-acre state average yield for corn and the estimated 85 bushels for sorghum.
“These are fantastic yields considering the poor start we had in March-May with the cool, wet conditions,” said Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “Amazing what we can do when everything comes together right later in the season.
“No extreme heat and cooler-than-normal temperatures for parts of the summer definitely was a major player in getting yields up that high,” he said. “Yields of corn and grain sorghum are both considerably higher than the trend line state average yields.”
The 2013 growing season was a great one for soybeans, as yields edged the old record of 43 bushels per acre set in 2012 and three growers exceeded the long-elusive goal of 100 bushels per acre. Cotton’s 2013 yield was well over the 1,114-pounds-per-acre set in 2004. The former rice record of 166 bushels was set in 2012.∆