Hardin County farmers produced 17,600,000 bushels of corn in 2013, with an average yield of 174.3 bushels per acre. Some 101,000 acres of corn were harvested locally.  Farmers in Logan County produced 12,800,000 bushels of corn in the same year, with an average yield of 174.1 bushels per acre on 73,500 acres harvested.  By comparison, farmers in Hancock County produced 17,300,000 bushels of corn with an average yield of 181.2 bushels per acre on 95,500 acres of land on which corn was harvested.

Total corn production for Ohio was 661,980,000 bushels with an average statewide yield of 177.0 bushels per acre of 3,740,000 acres harvested.  Nationally, corn for grain production is estimated at a record 13.9 billion bushels, 29 percent above 2012.  The average yield in the United States is estimated at 158.8 bushels per acre, 35.4 bushels above the 2012 average yield of 123.4 bushels per acre.  Area harvested for grain is estimated at 87.7 million acres, up slightly from 2012.

Hardin County farmers produced 5,111,000 bushels of soybeans in 2013, with an average yield of 46.7 bushels per acre. Some 109,400 acres of soybeans were harvested locally.  Farmers in Logan County produced 3,977,000 bushels of soybeans in the same year, with an average yield of 46.4 bushels per acre on 85,700 acres harvested.  By comparison, farmers in Hancock County produced 5,740,000 bushels of soybeans with an average yield of 45.5 bushels per acre on 126,200 acres of land on which soybeans were harvested.

Total soybean production for Ohio was 217,070,000 bushels with an average statewide yield of 49.0 bushels per acre of 4,430,000 acres harvested. U.S. soybean production in 2013 totaled 3.29 billion bushels, up 8 percent from 2012. U.S. production is the third largest on record. The average yield per acre is estimated at 43.3 bushels, 3.5 bushels above last year’s yield. Harvested area is down slightly from 2012 to 75.9 million acres and is the fourth highest on record.

Wheat production totals were not provided for Hardin County by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Total wheat production for Ohio was 46,550,000 bushels with an average statewide yield of 70.0 bushels per acre of 665,000 acres harvested.  Nationwide, the 2013 winter wheat production totaled 1.53 billion bushels, down 7 percent from the previous year.  The United States yield, at 47.4 bushels per acre, is up slightly from 2012 and represents the second highest yield on record, 0.4 bushel below 1999.  Area harvested for grain is estimated at 32.4 million acres, down 7 percent from the previous year.

For more information about OSU Extension, Hardin County, visit the Hardin County OSU Extension web site at www.hardin.osu.edu, the Hardin County OSU Extension Facebook page or contact Mark Badertscher, at 419-674-2297.