Does U.S. Yield Potential Vary With State Acres?

by David A. Widmar

In thinking about the implication of the USDA’s March 2016 Prospective Plantings report, many have noted the strong increase in corn acres in the central plains states. In fact, we noted in our earlier post that Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas accounted for 40% of the anticipated 5.6 million additional acres of corn in 2016.

Since the USDA’s report, we have wondered about the potential implications that so many additional central plains acres might have on overall U.S yield potential. Specifically, would the additional corn acres in the lower yielding central plains states limit, or be a drag on the average U.S. yield? This week’s post takes a look at the data to see what can be said. (more…)