The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has estimated that American corn farmers produced more than 17 billion bushels of corn in 2025, setting a new record for the nation. The estimate, which exceeded average trade expectations, was driven by a significant increase in harvested acres and record-high yields.
According to the USDA’s latest report, harvested corn area jumped by 4.5 million acres since the June acreage survey, reaching 91.25 million acres—the largest figure since 1933. Corn yields also soared to a record 186.5 bushels per acre, up from 179.3 bushels in 2024.
Illinois, one of the top corn-producing states, contributed 2.35 billion bushels to the national total with an average yield of 214 bushels per acre. However, this was down 3.2% from the November estimate.
The record-breaking production pushed U.S. corn ending stocks to 2.22 billion bushels. The quarterly stocks report, released the same day, showed U.S. corn stocks on December 1st stood at 13.82 billion bushels, compared to 12 billion a year ago.
Soybean production also exceeded expectations, with the USDA estimating a total of 4.26 billion bushels for 2025. Harvested area was 80.4 million acres, with an average yield of 53 bushels per acre—both slightly higher than trade estimates. Despite the higher yield, overall production was lower than last year due to fewer harvested acres. Illinois soybean yields averaged 62.5 bushels per acre, down 3.8% from November.
Soybean ending stocks rose to 350 million bushels, up from 290 million in December. Quarterly soybean stocks on December 1st were 3.29 billion bushels, an increase from 3.1 billion a year prior. Globally, the USDA raised Brazilian soybean production by 3 million metric tons as the country’s harvest begins.
For winter wheat, U.S. farmers planted 32.99 million acres in 2025, slightly above market expectations but below last year’s figure of 33.15 million acres. Wheat ending stocks increased to 926 million bushels, up from 901 million in December, while quarterly wheat stocks were reported at 1.68 billion bushels.
While the January estimates are considered the USDA’s final revisions for 2025 corn and soybean production, further adjustments could be made in the agency’s September report.
These figures highlight a year of robust crop output, with record yields boosting supplies and stocks across major grains.