• January 17, 2025 – Generally favorable crop conditions continue to be reported out of South America. The grain use section this week focuses on corn for fuel.

• January 13, 2025 – A downward revision to the 2024 U.S. corn yield estimate was the major feature of the January World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates for corn. USDA lowered the corn yield to 179.3 bushels per acre (still a record high) from 183.1 bushels in December.

• January 3, 2025 – The drought severity index for the North Plains region at the start of 2025 is about where it was at the start of 2024. Mostly favorable growing conditions so far this season in South America, particularly for the soybean crop.

• December 20, 2024 – Mostly favorable crop condition for in-season corn. The war and drought are impacting corn production in Ukraine and Southern Russia. Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa report good rainfall during planting and early crop development. Conditions are mixed for Mexico.

Mark Welch
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Economist
600 John Kimbrough Blvd
TAMU 2124
College Station, Texas 77843
Tel. (979)845-8011
Fax. (979)845-4906
JMWelch(at)tamu.edu

^{The opinions and recommendations expressed are solely those of the author and are intended for educational purposes only as part of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.  Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service assumes no liability for the use of this newsletter.  Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.  The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating}