The worst Mid West drought for half a century led the USDA to
cut its US maize production figures to 274Mt from the July
estimate of 329Mt. The forecast represents a 27% fall from its
June figure of 375Mt. Jack Watts, senior analyst with the Home-
Grown Cereals Authority, said: “Early in the spring in response
to the strongest plantings since the 1930s, the world was
anticipating a recovery into global feed grain supplies, however
the events of the grain situation is in fact likely to get worse
rather than better than last year.” The USDA is basing its lower
production on a rise in crop abandonment, from 7.8% to 9.07%,
and lower average yield forecasts. The yield prediction fell by
15.5% from the July estimate to 7.73t/ha (123.4bushels/acre).
“If realised this would be the lowest level of US maize
production since 2006/7 and lowest yield since 1995/96,” said
Watts. José Graziano da Silva, director general of the Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO) urged the US government to halt
subsidies for the productio