COLORADO HIGHLIGHTS 

Based on November 1 conditions, corn production in Colorado is forecast at 176.40 million bushels, up 13 percent from last year’s 156.00 million bushels, according to the November 1 Agricultural Yield Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. The 1.26 million acres expected to be harvested for grain this year are unchanged from the October forecast and 60,000 acres above the 1.20 million acres harvested a year ago. Corn yield is estimated at 140.0 bushels per acre, down 4.0 bushels per acre from the October 1 forecast but 10.0 bushels per acre above last year’s final yield. As of November 3, Colorado’s corn harvested for grain was 66 percent complete, compared with 63 percent last year and the 5-year average of 60 percent. 

Sorghum production in 2019 is forecast at 15.60 million bushels, down 9 percent from the 17.23 million bushels harvested last year. Growers expect to harvest 325,000 acres this year, unchanged from the October forecast and unchanged from the acres harvested last year. Average yield is forecast at 48.0 bushels per acre, up 3.0 bushels per acre from the October 1 forecast but down 5.0 bushels per acre from last year. As of November 3, Colorado’s sorghum harvested for grain was estimated at 80 percent complete, compared with 46 percent last year and the 5-year average of 57 percent. 

Sugarbeet production in Colorado is forecast at 816,000 tons, down 2 percent from the 831,000 tons produced in 2018. Growers expect to harvest 24,500 acres this year, compared with 25,500 acres a year ago. Yields are expected to average 33.3 tons per acre, up 0.3 ton per acre from the October 1 forecast and up from last year’s yield of 32.6 tons per acre. Harvest of sugarbeets was estimated at 88 percent complete, compared with 82 percent last year and the 5-year average of 75 percent as of November 3. 

Potato growers in Colorado produced an estimated 19.67 million hundredweight of potatoes this year, down 9 percent from last year’s crop. Potatoes produced in the San Luis Valley totaled 18.39 million hundredweight compared with 20.12 million hundredweight produced last year. Potatoes grown in all other areas in Colorado totaled 1.27 million hundredweight compared with 1.60 million hundredweight last year. Average yield, at 386 hundredweight per acre, decreased 9 hundredweight per acre from the combined yield attained last year. The harvested area, estimated at 51,000 acres is down from the 55,000 acres harvested last year. 

UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS 

Corn production for grain is forecast at 13.7 billion bushels, down 1 percent from the previous forecast and down 5 percent from last year. Based on conditions as of November 1, yields are expected to average 167.0 bushels per harvested acre, down 1.4 bushels from the previous forecast and down 9.4 bushels from 2018. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 81.8 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast but up slightly from 2018. 

Sorghum production is forecast at 358 million bushels, up 3 percent from the previous forecast but down 2 percent from last year. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 4.72 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast but down 7 percent from 2018. Based on November 1 conditions, yield is forecast at 75.9 bushels per acre, 2.0 bushels higher than the previous forecast and 3.8 bushels per acre above the 2018 yield of 72.1 bushels per acre. 

Production of sugarbeets for the 2019 crop year is forecast at 29.5 million tons, down 12 percent from last month and down 11 percent from last year. Sugarbeet producers expect to harvest 971,200 acres, down 13 percent from the previous forecast and down 11 percent from 2018. Yield is forecast at 30.4 tons per acre, an increase of 0.3 ton from the previous forecast and an increase of 0.1 ton from last year. 

Production of potatoes for the 2019 crop year is forecast at 422 million cwt, down 6 percent from last year. Planted acreage, at 961,800 acres, is down 1 percent from the June estimate. Area harvested, at 938,900 acres, is down 7 percent from the previous year. The yield forecast, at 450 cwt per acre, is up 7 cwt from last year’s yield.