1% Hike in U.S. Soybean Estimate

WASHINGTON - Jan 12/06 - SNS -- Soybean production in 2005 totaled 3.09 billion bushels, the second largest U.S. crop in history and up 1% from the November forecast but 1% below the record-setting 2004 crop, according to the USDA's final crop production report for 2005.

The average yield per acre is estimated at a record high 43.3 bushels, 0.6 bushel above the November forecast and 1.1 bushels above the 2004 final yield. Planted area for the Nation, at 72.1 million acres, is down 4% from 2004. Soybean growers harvested a total of 71.4 million acres, also down 4% from last year.

Yields are up dramatically from last year across most of the northern third of the U.S. soybean-growing area, reaching record highs in 5 States.

Final average pod counts from the objective yield survey were considerably lower than last year in the southern objective yield States, Arkansas and Missouri, but were much improved from 2004 in the northern States, Minnesota and the Dakotas. The 2005 average final pod count in Iowa and Ohio, at 1,970 and 1,981 pods respectively, were the highest on record.

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