Crops Better Than First Anticipated

A new report predicts that Kansas farmers will harvest a better soybean crop than previously expected.

Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service on Friday forecast the state’s soybean crop at 86.3 million bushels. That is up 5 percent from October’s estimate, but is still down 15 percent from last year. If the prediction is correct, it would still be the smallest soybean crop in Kansas since 2007.

The agency is standing by its earlier forecasts of 382.2 million bushels for the state’s corn crop. That would make it a 15 percent smaller crop than last year.

Also unchanged is the forecast of 84 million bushels for grain sorghum, down 24 percent from last year. That would be the smallest sorghum crop in Kansas since 1956.