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Wisconsin corn farmers have record-breaking harvest

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The state's corn growers produced more this year than ever before.

Farmers produced 462 million bushels of corn, breaking the previous record of 437 million bushels, set in 1994, according to a December estimate by the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

This year's production marks a 16 percent increase from 2006.

And the price of the crop hit a 10-year high in May, as corn in the state sold for $3.50 per bushel on average. Prices remained higher than $3 throughout the year.

"Often when we have a bumper crop, it causes prices to go down, so this is one of those special situations where we not only have a record crop but we have high prices to go with that crop," said Robin Engel, a spokeswoman for the department. "We're attributing this demand, in part, to these local ethanol plants."

Wisconsin's six ethanol plants have the capacity to use about a quarter of this year's record crop.

Farmers also had a yield of 140 bushels per acre, the fourth highest in the last 20 years.

Bob Oleson said the corn from his Palmyra farm produced big profits this year. He had excellent yields, despite weather conditions being too dry in July and too wet in August.

Oleson, executive director of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, said farmers in the state are paying off debts, improving land and equipment and buying new machinery.

But Oleson said other areas, like northeast Wisconsin didn't have a very good corn year.

Final numbers for the year's corn harvest are expected in January.