The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship released the State’s 2023 Crop Production Summary last week. 

Corn for grain production in Iowa for 2023 was estimated at 2.52 billion bushels. This was up two percent from the previous year’s 2.47 billion bushels. The corn for grain yield was estimated at 201 bushels per acre. Area harvested for grain was estimated at 12.6 million acres, 200,000 more than 2022, and corn planted for all purposes was estimated at 13.1 million acres. 

Corn for silage production was estimated at 7.6 million tons, down seven percent from 2022. The silage yield estimate of 20 tons per acre was down 1 ton per acre from 2022. In 2023, producers harvested 380,000 acres of corn for silage, down three percent from the previous year.  

This year’s Iowa corn crop ranks as the fourth-highest yield and fifth-largest production in state history. This production comes despite 2023 ending as the State’s 22nd-driest year on record.