(NAFB) – Increased acreage and higher yields for corn and soybeans led to record high soybean production and near-record high corn production, according to the 2021 Crop Production Annual Summary.

U.S. corn growers produced 15.1 billion bushels, up seven percent from 2020 and the second-highest on record. Corn yield in the United States is estimated at a record high 177.0 bushels per acre, 5.6 bushels above the 2020 yield. Area harvested for grain, at 85.4 million acres, is up four percent from 2020. Soybean production for 2021 totaled a record-high 4.44 billion bushels, up five percent from 2020. With record-high yields in 21 states, the average soybean yield is estimated at 51.4 bushels per acre, the second-highest on record.

For 2021, all cotton production is up 21 percent from 2020, at 17.6 million 480-pound bales. The U.S. yield is estimated at 849 pounds per acre, up two pounds from last year’s yield.