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Iowa sees biggest drop in corn acres

According to the USDA’s planted acreage report Wednesday, the state with the largest decrease in corn acres from 2009 is Iowa.  The reports showed corn acres in the Hawkeye State are down 400 thousand, to 13-point-three million acres. 

Iowa Corn Promotion Board chairman Tim Burrack of Arlington, Iowa says that, because of the wet weather, he wasn’t surprised that corn acreage decreased—but he admits it was a bigger decrease than he expected.

“In southeast Iowa and southern Iowa, there are a lot of unplanted acres—period,” Burrack says. “As a result, I’m sure that’s why those numbers came in.”

Iowa’s soybean acres, meanwhile, were estimated at 10.2 million, up 600 thousand from 2009. But Burrack says some of those acres are still being planted in southeast Iowa.

On his own farm in northeast Iowa, Burrack says the crops look good—but not great.

“Two weeks ago, I would have told you ‘great’—but we came subject to the water just like everyone else across Iowa and now in the Midwest,” says Burrack, “Just this past weekend I hand 4½ inches on top of totally saturated soils—so now the wet spots and the yellowing, etc., it’s pulling down the top yields.”

But Burrack says, compared to other areas in Iowa, he considers himself fortunate.

AUDIO: Tim Burrack (5:30 MP3)

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