USDA Forecasts Record-High Corn Yield and Production in September 2025 Report
As the 2025 U.S. corn harvest approaches, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released its highly anticipated September Corn Production Report. The update includes key revisions based on FSA-certified acreage and offers a clearer picture of what’s ahead for corn producers this fall.
Anthony Perleman with USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) provided the latest insights from the report.
“Based on our review of FSA-certified acreage, we did make some additional changes to corn acreage this month compared to what was published in August.”
According to the USDA:
- Harvest planted acreage is now estimated at 98.7 million acres, an increase of 1.5% or 1.47 million acres over the previous estimate.
- That figure is also 9% higher than the 2024 acreage.
- Harvested area for grain is forecast at just over 90 million acres, up 1.5% or 1.36 million acres from last month and 8.6% above 2024 levels.
“Harvest planted acreage at 98.7 million acres was raised 1.5% or 1.47 million acres compared to the previous estimate, and that is 9% more than what was planted in 2024. Harvested area for grain is forecast at just over 90 million acres. That’s also up 1.5% or 1.36 million acres from the previous forecast. It’s also up 8.6% from last year.”
Yield per acre is slightly down from August but still extremely strong.
“As of September 1st, yield is forecast at 186.7 bushels per acre. That is down 1.1% or 2.1 bushels from the August forecast, but it’s up 4.1% or 7.4 bushels from the previous year, and if realized, this would represent a record-high corn yield for the U.S.”
Total U.S. corn production is now forecast at a historic high:
“Production is forecast at 16.8 billion bushels. That’s up 0.4% from last month and up 13.1% from 2024. This too represents a record high for the U.S.”
With record-high corn yield and production expected, farmers and grain markets will be watching closely as harvest gets underway.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.