National Agricultural Statistics Service

LOUISVILLE (March 21, 2019) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the county estimates for corn and soybeans today from the 2018 production year. The two crops are significant to Kentucky agriculture, together bringing in $1.5 billion in cash receipts in 2017.

“It was a good year for both corn and soybeans,” said David Knopf, director of the NASS Eastern Mountain Regional Office in Kentucky. “Statewide, the yields were strong, but not record highs. Plentiful moisture during the growing season supported yields. Rains continued in September and October making harvest, especially soybean harvest, extremely challenging. Overall, corn yields were down from 2017 due to weather conditions and disease pressure.”

Christian County was the leading corn-producing county in Kentucky for 2018, with production totaling 12,832,000 bushels, harvested from 72,500 acres. Union, Henderson, Daviess and Logan counties rounded out the top 5. Combined, those five counties account for 27 percent of Kentucky’s corn production.

Ohio County reached a yield of 202 bushels in 2018, the only county in the state to reach or exceed 200 bushels per acre. Statewide, the average yield fell 3 bushels from 2017, but 33 counties recorded yield increases. The top five counties for yield include:

Ohio County – 202.0 bushels per acre
Bourbon County – 196.8 bushels per acre
Fayette County – 195.0 bushels per acre
Lewis County – 195.0 bushels per acre
Butler County – 194.0 bushels per acre

Henderson County was the leading soybean-producing county in Kentucky for 2018, with production totaling 5,429,000 bushels, harvested from 102,400 acres. The top five counties, which account for 23 percent of Kentucky’s soybean production, include:

Henderson County – 5,429,000 bushels
Daviess County – 4,934,000 bushels
Graves County – 4,743,000 bushels
Christian County – 4,581,000 bushels
Logan County – 3,984,000 bushels

Ohio County had the highest soybean yield at 59.6 bushels per acre. The top five counties for yield include:

Ohio County – 59.6 bushels per acre
McLean County – 59.4 bushels per acre
Spencer County – 59.0 bushels per acre
Union County – 58.5 bushels per acre
Marion County – 58.3 bushels per acre

County-level estimates are used by other USDA agencies to set standards for insurance and risk protection programs many farmers rely on to protect their operations.

“Farm Service Agency (FSA) relies on the county-level estimates for Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC), County Loan Rates, and its disaster program calculations,” Knopf said. “The Risk Management Agency (RMA) uses the data for administering the Area Risk Protection Insurance Plan and establishment of transitional yields. When drought and flooding impact crop production, or even in a year with good yields, these data are crucial to the agriculture industry.”

In April, NASS will release county estimates for hay and tobacco.

The complete listing of corn and soybean county estimates for each county is available online in the NASS QuickStats database. For more information, call the NASS Kentucky Field Office at (800) 928-5277.