By: NATHAN STUEDLE
USDA lowered its outlook for the 2026 corn crop Friday while slightly increasing its soybean production estimate. The department now projects a national corn yield of 178 and a half bushels per acre, down 2-point-2 bushels from August. That puts production at 15-point-8 billion bushels, a reduction of 213-million bushels. Projected new-crop corn ending stocks fell to 1-point-56 billion bushels, while USDA raised its average farm-price forecast 30 cents to four-dollars-and-80 cents a bushel.
Soybeans went the other direction. USDA raised soybean yield slightly to 52-point-8 bushels per acre, putting production at a record 4-point-53 billion bushels. However, projected soybean ending stocks declined to 310-million bushels, and USDA raised its average farm-price forecast 60 cents to 12 dollars a bushel. U.S. wheat production was unchanged at 1-point-53 billion bushels.