USDA Leaves Yields Unchanged Despite Poor Conditions

 | Jul 12, 2015 02:24AM ET

The USDA refused to move yield estimates in June, despite a six-week period of poor growing conditions in major corn and soybeans growing areas. Lower corn production due to decreased planted acres pushed 2015/16 corn ending stocks down by 172 million bushels. 2015/16 soybean production increased 35 million bushels on greater planted acres, but endings stocks decreased on higher crush and disappearance reports from 2014/15. wheat production also increased as greater spring wheat production expectations more than offset declining winter wheat production reports.h3 Corn/h3

The USDA estimated U.S. corn production for the 2015/16 crop season at 13.530 billion bushels in the July WASDE Report, a 100 million bushel decrease due to the decrease in planted and harvested acres reported in the June 30th Acreage report. The average corn yield estimate was 166.8 bushels per acre, unchanged from last month. Harvested corn acres for 2015/16 was decreased by 0.6 million acres from last month’s estimate.

Corn beginning stocks for 2015/16 were decreased by 97 million bushels, due to higher gas consumption outlook expected for 2014/15 increasing corn used for ethanol by 25 million bushels. 2014/15 corn feed and residual use and exports were also increased decreasing 2015/16 beginning stocks. Corn ending stocks for 2015/16 were also decreased 172 million bushels, to 1,599 million bushels, to reflect the change in beginning stocks and account for the decrease in expected production. The projected season-average price range for corn in 2015/2016 was projected at $3.45 to $4.05 per bushel.

World corn production for 2015/16 was projected at 987.11 million tons, a 2.19 million ton decrease form last month due to lower expected production from the U.S. and E.U. Global corn supplies for 2015/16 were decreased 4.3 million tons, primarily due to lower beginning stocks reported by the U.S.