Corn
In the 2024 Crop Production Summary, the National Agricultural Statistics Service(NASS) estimated corn for grain production in Wisconsin at 515 million bushels.
Current year production was down 7 percent from the previous year’s 553 million bushels. NASS estimated Wisconsin’s corn for grain yield at 174 bushels per acre. The area harvested for grain was 2.96 million acres, 180,000 acres below 2023.
By comparison, in the U.S., corn for grain production in 2024 was estimated at 14.9 billion bushels, down 3 percent from the 2023 estimate. The average national yield was estimated at a record high 179.3 bushels per acre, 2 bushels above the 2023 yield of 177.3 bushels per acre. Area harvested for grain was estimated at 82.9 million acres, down 4 percent from the 2023 estimate.
In Wisconsin, corn planted for all purposes in 2024 was estiamted at 3.75 million acres.
Corn for silage production was 16.4 million tons, down 16 percent from 2022. The silage yield estimate of 21 tons per acre was down 1.5 tons per acre from 2022. Producers harvested 780,000 acres of corn for silage, down 10 percent from 2022.
Soybean
Soybean production was 102 million bushels in 2024. This was down 3 percent from last year’s 105 million bushels. The Wisconsin soybean crop yielded 48 bushels per acre in 2024. The harvested acreage of 2.12 million was up 60,000 acres from 2023. Soybean planted acreage, at 2.15 million, was up 40,000 acres from 2023.
By comparison, in the U.S., soybean production in 2024 totaled 4.37 billion bushels, up 5 percent from 2023. The average yield per acre was 50.7 bushels, up 0.1 bushel from 2023. Harvested area, at 86.1 million acres, was up 5 percent from last year.
Potatoes
Wisconsin potato production for 2024 was 26.1 million cwt, down 8 percent from 2023. Producers averaged 395 cwt per acre, down 6 percent from the 2023 yield. Planted and harvested acres were 67,000 acres and 66,000 acres, respectively.
Hay
All hay production for the state was 3.90 million tons, up 75 percent from the 2.24 million tons produced in 2023. Producers averaged 3.03 tons per acre, up 0.86 tons per acre from 2023. All hay harvested acres were 1.29 million acres, up 260,000 acres from 2023.
Alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures for hay production were 3.03 million tons, up 75 percent from 2023. Producers averaged 3.65 tons per acre, up 0.95 tons per acre from 2023. Harvested acres were up 190,000 from last year, to 830,000 acres. Wisconsin producers seeded 240,000 acres of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures in 2024, up 14 percent from 2023.
Other hay production was 874,000 tons, up 72 percent from 2023. Producers averaged 1.90 tons per acre, up 0.60 tons from the 2023 yield. Harvested acres of other hay, at 460,000, were up 70,000 acres from 2023.
