Bloomberg’s Michael Hirtzer reported that “corn surged the most in three months after the US Department of Agriculture surprised traders with a bigger-than-expected cut to yield and production of America’s most widely grown crop.”
“While a small trim in USDA’s monthly supply and demand outlook was anticipated, the scale of the reduction caught traders off guard, with futures in Chicago rising by as much as 3.7% after the report was published,” Hirtzer reported. “Farmers have been complaining about the accuracy of the agency’s reports — and also replying less to surveys that are used by the USDA to produce the data. Tuesday’s report is the third time to spark increased volatility since the end of September. Such turbulence in USDA reports has prompted efforts at the agency to modernize.”
AgWeb’s Michelle Rook reported that “while it is rare for corn yield to go down from October to November, the agency provided a bullish surprise with a bigger-than-expected cut.”
“USDA lowered corn yield 1.6 bushels per acre from October to 179.6 bu., which was below trade estimates,” Rook reported. “Of note when it comes to individual states: Illinois: Down 8 bu. (to 200 bu. per acre). Indiana: Down 5 bu. (to 195 bu. per acre). Missouri: Down 5 bu. (to 176 bu. per acre). Nebraska: Down 4 bu. (to 184 bu.per acre). Minnesota: Up 9 bu. (to 204 bu. per acre). Iowa: Unchanged at a record 219 bu. per acre.”
Jeremy McCann, broker at Farmer’s Keeper, told Successful Farming that “‘since the last WASDE and Crop Production reports in October, the corn market has lost more than 50¢, and the soybean market has lost more than a dollar before today’s report. Fortunately, the USDA is giving some of that back today by lowering corn yields. … These reports are a huge help to farmers who are offloading the last of their harvested crop across the scales.'”
USDA Slightly Raises Soybean Yield
Agri-Pulse’s Noah Wicks reported that “meanwhile, USDA raised its soybean production forecast by less than 1% to a record 4.57 billion bushels, with average yields projected at 53.3 bushels per acre.”
Progressive Farmer Staff reported that “domestic ending stocks came in at 300 million bushels, down 15 mb from last month. USDA sees total supplies at 4.914 bb. Crush demand is pegged at 2.78 bb, while exports rose to 1.72 bb, up from 1.695 bb last month. Seed use is forecast at 76 mb and residual at 38 mb. USDA’s national average farmgate price is estimated at $12.10 per bushel, up 10 cents from October. Globally, new-crop ending stocks for the 2026-27 marketing year were forecast at 123.5 million metric tons (mmt).”
USDA Launching Pilot Program for Text & Email Surveys
Progressive Farmer’s Jake Zajkowski reported that “to encourage further participation in USDA surveys, USDA announced Monday that selected producers will receive an invitation to complete their December Agricultural Survey through text messages or email.”
“It’s a new step in USDA’s data modernization that will roll out in late November. ‘Producers have limited time, especially during planting and harvest,’ said Joseph Parsons, NASS administrator,” Zajkowski reported. “The initiative comes as the agency works to address declining survey response rates, which reached a record low of 37.6% for key reports such as the March 2026 Prospective Plantings and June Acreage reports.”
Successful Farming’s Cassidy Walter reported that “the pilot program will start with the December Agricultural Survey later this month. The agency explained: ‘Invitations will identify the survey and provide instructions for signing in. After verifying their identity, participants will submit their responses through the secure online survey portal. Producers can confirm an invitation through agcounts.usda.gov. Producers not selected for the December Agricultural Survey may opt to receive text or email notifications for future surveys.'”
