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USGC Corn Harvest Quality Report “good news all around”

The U.S. Grains Council released it’s 2013/2014 Corn Harvest Quality Report on Friday surmising: “Record production, high quality and minor weather-related impacts.” Total U.S. corn production of 13,989 billion bushels is an all-time record, and the average yield of 160.4 bushels/acre is the second highest on record. USGC President and CEO Tom Sleight described it as “…good news all around.”

Weather was again the challenge, as a cold and wet spring delayed planting across much of the corn belt. Some areas also experienced flash-drought conditions in mid-summer, although this was generally offset by cooler temperatures. Those conditions did cause slight reductions in planted acreage and yield but compared to prior years, the impacts were modest.

As for quality, the report states: “Aflatoxins were significantly lower than in the 2012 crop, with 99.4 percent of the samples testing below the FDA aflatoxin action level of 20 parts per billion. Starch content was up, while protein content, which is inversely related to starch, was down slightly. Oil content was similar to 2011 and 2012. Moisture content, reflecting weather conditions, was slightly higher, as were stress cracks, but total damage levels remained very low, comparable to 2012 and below 2011 levels. Average test weight remained well above the limit for No. 1 grade corn, indicating overall good quality.”

Sleight says “The takeaway message this year is that the United States has abundant supplies of high quality corn” adding, “with record production and good quality, it is a buyers’ market as we head into 2014.”