Today, Illinois Corn had the privilege of hosting the Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation (ALIC), a group funded by the Japanese government to manage stability measures for cattle producers, hog producers and vegetable producers in Japan.  Today, they are interested in the U.S. corn crop and whether or not they can supply Japanese livestock producers with enough quality feed.

During a visit to John and Sue Adam’s farm near Bloomington, IL, the Japanese team had an opportunity to see the crop first hand, and hear our perspective on the yield potential and impact of the drought on our corn and soybean crops.

Phil Thornton, Value Enhanced Project Director for the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, shared our most recent information.  Experts predict that the Illinois corn crop will average around 123 bushels per acre with a total yield of 1.4 billion bushels.  This is down about 25 percent.

On John and Sue Adams farm, the ears of corn were sometimes almost tiny.  John estimates around 95 bushels per acre on his farm, higher than his all-time low of 89 bushels per acre in 1983 and significantly lower than his average or 200 bushels per acre.

Japanese buyers can expect to pay more for their feedstuffs given the critical condition of the crop, but should not have to worry about availability.  The market will dictate where the crop is used so as long as they are willing to pay for it, livestock producers will have corn to feed their animals.