Iowa’s 2023 crop yields mostly resilient to challenging weather

After a year filled with record-breaking drought, Mississippi River flooding and extreme heat, total crop yields in 2023 mostly held up even in the state’s 22nd driest year on record, although county-level disparities aren’t available yet.

Total corn planted was estimated at 13.1 million acres. Corn used for grain — mostly put toward livestock feed or ethanol production — was estimated at 2.52 billion bushels, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s up 2 percent from 2022’s 2.47 billion bushels and ranks as the fifth largest production in state history. Harvested areas grew to 12.6 million acres, about 200,000 acres more than in 2022.

For the United States at large, estimated production of corn used for grain reached a record -high of 15.3 billion bushels, up 12 percent from 2022. Iowa’s bounty averaged 201 bushels per acre, trumping the country’s record-breaking 177.3 bushels per acre and marking the state’s fourth highest yields.

“Even with all the weather challenges last year, Iowa remained a production powerhouse,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in a statement. “That’s a testament to the assistance of timely rains, the resiliency of Iowa farmers, and continuous improvements in genetics, traits, equipment, technology, production methods and many other innovations.”

A smaller percentage of Iowa’s planted corn was harvested for silage, which is used as forage for livestock. Silage production dipped 7 percent in 2023, estimated at 7.6 million tons. Yields were down 1 ton per acre compared to 2022. Producers harvested 380,000 acres of corn for silage, down 3 percent from 2022.

Soybean production fell 2 percent compared with 2022, from 587 million bushels to an estimated 573 million bushels in 2023. Even with the drop, 2023 ranks as the third highest soybean production in Iowa history. Acreages of soybeans planted and harvested were each down 150,000 acres from 2022.

National soybean production in 2023 totaled 4.16 billion bushels, down 2 percent from 2022. Iowa’s average yield of 58 bushels per acre — the fourth highest in state history — again beat out countrywide averages of 50.6 bushels per acre.

Iowa’s hay production took the hardest hit: Yields dropped to 2.95 million acres, down 18 percent from 2022, mostly attributed to drought conditions. All hay harvested acres were estimated at 1.01 million acres, a 160,000-acre dip.

Brittney J. Miller is the Energy & Environment Reporter for The Gazette and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com