USDA Says Minnesota Had Record Year In Corn, Soybeans

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Final tallies from the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirm that Minnesota farmers harvested record corn and soybean crops in 2015.

The USDA's final estimates are close to what the agency had been projecting for several months. Minnesota corn producers harvested a record 1.43 billion bushels, up 4 percent from the previous record set in 2012. The state's average corn yield was 188 bushels per acre, beating the 2010 record by 11 bushels.

Minnesota's soybean production is estimated at 378 million bushels, or 15 percent above the 2010 record. Yields hit 50 bushels per acre, beating a record 45.5 bushels in 2005.

Sugarbeet production came in at 12.2 million tons, the second-largest on record, with a record yield of 28 tons per acre, topping the record of 26.6 tons in 2010.