USDA forecasts that Washington, Iowa and Illinois to have the highest corn yields in 2026
In Iowa, Successful Farming reported that the USDA has published its 2026 Crop Production report, detailing its forecast for the upcoming corn harvest season.
According to the report, Washington, Iowa, and Illinois are expected to record the highest corn yields this fall.
Farmers in Washington state are expected to harvest 125,000 acres of corn this fall producing 28.75 million bushels, USDA said. The yield forecast of 230 bushels per acre (bpa) is a significant decrease from the 2025 season yield of 251 bpa, per the report.
Iowa farmers are expected to produce 2.7648 billion bushels of corn across 12.8 million acres, USDA wrote. The forecasted corn yield of 216 bpa is 6 bushels higher than the 2025 yield number.
USDA estimates that Illinois farmers will harvest 2.3214 billion bushels of corn across 10.95 million acres this season. The forecasted corn yield for the state is 212 bpa, 2 bushels lower than the previous year, according to the report.
Across the country, USDA said, farmers will produce more than 16 billion bushels of corn over 88.592 million acres. The average corn yield was forecast to be 180.7 bpa. This is down from 186.5 bpa in 2025, the report added.
Category: Food & Agriculture
