The production of Wisconsin’s field and miscellaneous crops was valued at $4.14 billion in 2020, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Crop Values 2020 Summary. This was a 33% increase from 2019.
The value of corn for grain production totaled $2.14 billion, up 41% from the previous year. Wisconsin’s corn price averaged $4.15 per bushel, an increase of 72 cents from the last marketing year.
Up 61% from 2019, the value of soybean production was $1.08 billion. The average price increased $2.28 from the previous year to $10.70 per bushel.
Value of production increased from 2019 to 2020 for barley, alfalfa hay, and oats. Value of production decreased from 2019 to 2020 for other hay, potatoes, rye, and winter wheat.
As far as counties impacted – Rock County tops the list!
In 2020, farmers in Rock County led the State in soybean production with 5.03 million bushels according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Dodge (4.43 million), Grant (4.35 million), Dane (4.26 million), and Lafayette (3.79 million) rounded out the top five counties with the highest production.
Statewide, two counties averaged over 60.0 bushels per acre. Lafayette County had the highest yield with an average of 65.4 bushels per acre. Grant (60.6), Iowa (59.8), Dodge (58.1) and Green (56.9) rounded out the top five highest yielding counties. Bayfield County recorded the lowest average yield at 28.5 bushels per acre.
Rock County was the largest corn-producing county with 27.2 million bushels. Dane, Lafayette, Dodge, and Grant rounded out the top five. Columbia County was the only other county that produced over 20 million bushels of corn for grain.
Lafayette led all counties in Wisconsin with a county average yield of 205.2 bushels per acre. Dodge (202.3), Green (195.1), Rock (194.4), and Iowa (192.5) counties rounded out the top five highest yielding counties. Thirteen counties exceeded the 180 bushel per acre yield mark for 2020.
In 2020, Dane County led all Wisconsin counties in total corn silage production, with 1.09 million tons according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Fond du Lac (942,000), Manitowoc (863,000), Dodge (811,000) and Clark (804,000) rounded out the top five highest producing counties.
Columbia and Dane Counties tied for the highest yield with an average of 25.5 tons per acre. Lafayette was in third place with a yield of 25.0 tons per acre. There were 18 counties that had an average yield of 23.0 or more tons per acre.
