This week, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) released its 2021/2022 Corn Harvest Quality Report based on 610 samples taken from defined areas within 12 of the top corn-producing and exporting states that revealed this year’s U.S. corn crop has a higher average test weight and lower total damage and stress cracks compared with the previous five crops.
The 2021 crop was planted earlier than average and experienced a mostly warm growing season resulting in projections that it will be the second-largest U.S. corn crop on record at 281.49 million metric tons (15,019 million bushels). This ample supply allows the U.S. to remain the world’s leading corn exporter and accounts for an estimated 31.4% of global corn exports during the marketing year.
“USGC’s mission is one of developing markets, enabling trade and improving lives, and as part of our mission, we are pleased to offer this report as a service to our trading partners around the world,” says USGC Chairman Chad Willis.
“We are confident in the quality of this year’s crop and hope this report provides timely insight into the specifics of it.”
The 11th edition of the report showed the 2021 crop was planted earlier than average and experienced a mostly warm growing season. Overall, 65% of the crop rated as good or excellent condition, nearing record high yields.
The average aggregate quality of the representative samples tested was better than the grade factor requirements for U.S. No. 1 grade. The report also showed that 90% of the samples met the grade factor requirements for U.S. No. 1 grade and 98% met the grade factor requirements for U.S. No. 2.
This year’s crop highlights lower average broken corn and foreign material (BCFM) than the five-year average; lower average total damage than the five-year average; and a similar average moisture content compared to the five-year average.
The crop also showed lower-than-average protein concentration than the five-year average; lower average stress cracks than 2020 and the five-year average; and a similar average 100-kernel weight compared to the five-year average.
Nearly 99% of the samples tested below the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) action level for aflatoxins. A full 100% of the samples tested below the 5.0 parts per million FDA advisory level for deoxynivalenol (DON) or vomitoxin. Of the samples tested for fumonisin, 97.2% tested below the FDA’s strictest guidance level of 5.0 parts per million.
The 2021/2022 U.S. corn crop is expected to be the second largest (382.6 million metric tons/15,062 million bushels) on record and has the highest average yield on record (11.11 metric tons/hectare or 177 bushels per acre), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE).
