Nebraska's October Corn Forecast Rises to 1.81 Billion Bushels at 188 Bushels per Acre, the Only Increase Among the Top Five Producing States
On October 29, 2026, the October corn production forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service put Nebraska at the center of attention: the state's corn production is forecast at 1.81 billion bushels, up 60 million bushels from the September forecast, with yield forecast at 188 bushels per acre, up 6.0 bushels from September. Nebraska was the only one of the top five U.S. corn-producing states whose October yield forecast was higher than its September forecast.
The upward revision drew discussion because the state experienced unusually warm nights: in July, August and September 2026, average nighttime minimum temperatures statewide ran 4 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, with September running 9 to 12 degrees above normal across most grain-producing areas. Eric Hunt, an extension agricultural climatologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, noted that the state faced drought during corn pollination and early grain fill while overnight warmth set records; by the end of July, about 62 percent of the state was in severe drought.
Hunt believes Nebraska's corn yield will very likely be revised downward before the final forecast is complete, landing closer to 180 bushels per acre than 188. As the U.S. corn harvest moves through its second half, Nebraska's production numbers have become an important case for watching this year's corn crop.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 内布拉斯加州南部的玉米田 / Corn fields in southern Nebraska. Photo: Ryan Peters, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
