The National Corn Growers Association tells Mid-West Farm Report that the U.S. has produced a record-shattering 17.02 billion bushel corn crop. It’s driven by an unprecedented yield of 186.5 bushels per acre.
Despite this feat, the agricultural sector is grappling with a fourth consecutive year of negative returns. The surge in supply, while matched by record demand, has failed to lift market prices high enough to offset near-record input costs.
“We’ve done the supply side work and that demand needs to be able to meet the moment,” says Gretchen Kuck, an economist with the NCGA. “We have this corn, it’s really competitively priced and we have plenty of it, and we need demand solutions to make that demand and those market opportunities match the achievement that our farmers have come up with.”
A primary focus for growers is the push for year-round, nationwide sales of E15 fuel. While President Trump recently signaled his support, telling farmers in Iowa he would sign such a bill “without delay,” legislative progress in Washington remains stalled. Instead of a permanent fix, House leadership recently proposed the creation of an “E15 Rural Energy Council” to further study the issue.
Beyond biofuels, farmers are also navigating the “Make America Healthy Again” dialogue, which has raised questions about crop protection tools and corn products. Industry leaders are currently leaning on data to defend the safety of their yields.
“We absolutely come armed with the data,” Kuck emphasizes. “It’s really, really tough in Washington to have a deal that makes everybody happy. But the message that we are leaving these folks with… is that this needs to get done for corn farmers.”
As the 2026 planting season approaches, the pressure remains on Congress to unlock new domestic and foreign trade markets to ensure that record-breaking harvests can sustain farm families.
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