Record corn crop puts Kansas farmers at risk

TOPEKA (KSNT) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects a record 16.7 billion bushel corn crop this year, threatening to lower already record-low corn prices.

Kansas farmers produce $3 billion of corn every year, averaging 700 million bushels produced over 5.5 million acres, according to the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Although corn is grown in all 50 states, Kansas ranks sixth nationally in production, and this year is supposed to be a record breaker at the national level.

The price of corn is currently experiencing a five-year low, selling for an average of $4.49 per bushel, according to Macrotrends. This is down from $6.95 just three years ago, an almost 50% change. Record breaking corn yields like the one expected this year would only drive this price further down, devastating farmers across the country.

“Corn growers are already marketing their corn for extremely low corn prices, and this massive projected corn supply without market-based solutions to increasing corn demand is already causing corn prices to fall further,” said National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Kenneth Hartman Jr. “Because we need markets fast for this supply, we are redoubling and intensifying our call for Congress to pass pending E15 legislation that will allow for year-round consumer access to higher blends of ethanol and for the Trump administration to quickly broker deals that will open new foreign markets for corn.”

The problem for farmers across the country is that supply is outweighing demand. The NGCA believes that allowing year-round access to a 15% ethanol blend (E15), will create an additional demand for 457 million bushels of corn. This new ethanol policy is included in the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025 which was introduced to the U.S. Senate on Feb. 13. While this would help alleviate some of the pressure facing corn farmers across the country, it would not solve the overall low profitability of corn.

Kansas also faces additional struggles with corn. Eight counties have tested positive for a fungal disease known as tar spots which can negatively impact yield by reducing ear weight, kernel fill or worse. Another twenty three counties have tested positive for southern rust, another yield-limiting disease. Western bean cutworms and armyworms in western Kansas are also consuming developing kernels and clip silks, reducing yields even more.

“My family survived the 1980s farm crisis,” Hartman said. “I don’t want my daughter to be talking about the 2020’s farm crisis in 40 years. The situation is dire, and new market demand is the only way we are going to dig out of this.”

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.