COLORADO HIGHLIGHTS

Based on November 1 conditions, corn production in Colorado is forecast at 141.52 million bushels, down 11 percent from last year’s 159.90 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 1.16 million acres expected to be harvested for grain this year are unchanged from the October forecast but 140,000 acres below the 1.30 million acres harvested a year ago. Corn yield is estimated at 122.0 bushels per acre, down 3.0 bushels per acre from the October 1 forecast and 1.0 bushel per acre below last year’s final yield. As of November 1, Colorado’s corn harvested for grain was 84 percent complete, compared with 63 percent last year and the 5-year average of 56 percent.

Sorghum production in 2020 is forecast at 10.50 million bushels, down 17 percent from the 12.71 million bushels harvested last year. Growers expect to harvest 300,000 acres this year, unchanged from the October forecast but down 10,000 acres from the acres harvested last year. Average yield is forecast at 35.0 bushels per acre, down 5.0 bushels per acre from the October 1 forecast and down 6.0 bushels per acre from last year. As of November 1, Colorado’s sorghum harvested for grain was estimated at 78 percent complete, compared with 78 percent last year and the 5-year average of 60 percent.

Sugarbeet production in Colorado is forecast at 782,000 tons, up 4 percent from the 749,000 tons produced in 2019. Growers expect to harvest 24,000 acres this year, compared with 24,400 acres a year ago. Yields are expected to average 32.6 tons per acre, down 0.3 ton per acre from the October 1 forecast but up from last year’s yield of 30.7 tons per acre. Harvest of sugarbeets was estimated at 95 percent complete, compared with 86 percent last year and the 5-year average of 71 percent as of November 1.

Potato growers in Colorado produced an estimated 22.87 million hundredweight of potatoes this year, up 16 percent from last year’s crop. Average yield, at 425 hundredweight per acre, increased 39 hundredweight per acre from the yield attained last year. If realized, this would be a record yield for the state, 24 hundredweight per acre above the previous record yield of 401 hundredweight per acre in 2009. The harvested area, estimated at 53,800 acres is up from the 51,000 acres harvested last year.

UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS

Corn production for grain is forecast at 14.5 billion bushels, down 1 percent from the previous forecast but up 7 percent from 2019. Based on conditions as of November 1, yields are expected to average 175.8 bushels per harvested acre, down 2.6 bushels from the previous forecast but up 8.3 bushels from last year. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 82.5 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast, but up 1 percent from the previous year.

Sorghum production is forecast at 371 million bushels, up slightly from the previous forecast and up 9 percent from last year. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 5.00 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast but up 7 percent from 2019. Based on November 1 conditions, yield is forecast at 74.2 bushels per acre, 0.1 bushel higher than the previous forecast and 1.2 bushels per acre above the 2019 yield of 73.0 bushels per acre.

Production of sugarbeets for the 2020 crop year is forecast at 34.0 million tons, down 5 percent from last month but up 19 percent from last year. Sugarbeet producers expect to harvest 1.15 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast but up 17 percent from 2019. Yield is forecast at 29.6 tons per acre, down 1.6 tons from the previous forecast but an increase of 0.4 ton from last year.

Production of potatoes for the 2020 crop year is forecast at 415 million cwt, down 2 percent from last year. Planted acreage, at 923,000 acres, is up slightly from the June estimate. Area harvested, at 915,700 acres, is down 2 percent from the previous year. The yield forecast, at 454 cwt per acre, is up 1 cwt from last year’s yield.