- Corn continues to be a top Kentucky crop in terms of acres and cash receipts.
- Corn production for 2022 in Kentucky is forecast at 204 million bushels, down 26% from 2021.
- Based on conditions as of August 1, yield is estimated at 147 bushels per acre, down 45 bushels from last year.
- Acres for harvest as grain were estimated at 1.39 million acres, down 50,000 acres from 2021.
- Corn production for 2021 was reported at 274 million bushels as of January 12, 2022. According to NASS surveys, this is the largest crop ever produced in the Commonwealth. The average yield is forecast at 192 bushels per acre, the highest average yield recorded in Kentucky and 15 bushels higher than the national average. Acres for harvest were estimated at 1.44 million acres.
- Cash receipts for 2020 were reported at $835.4 million.
- About 60 million bushels of corn are fed in-state to Kentucky livestock, with 33 million bushels being fed to the poultry industry alone. Kentucky beef, pork, and dairy are also important corn customers.
- Commonwealth Agri-Energy, in Hopkinsville, uses 16 million bushels of Kentucky corn to make fuel ethanol and distiller’s grains/corn oil for livestock feed. Much of those co-products are fed in-state as well.
- Another 15-20 million bushels of corn is utilized by Kentucky’s bourbon and spirits industry. (Source: Kentucky Distillers Association)
- Kentucky is also home to a thriving food processing industry, where corn is ground for grits, cornbread mixes, tortillas, and taco shells. Another 40 to 45 million bushels are processed in Kentucky.
- The corn not used within the state is exported to neighboring states or worldwide. According to the USDA Economic Research Service, Kentucky corn valued at $122 million was sold overseas in 2019.
- Kentucky’s family corn farmers are producing twice as much corn as they did in the early 1900s — on two-thirds less land.
- 95% of Kentucky’s corn farms are family-owned, and many of the remaining 5% are partnerships between family members.
