St Louis - The U.S. government said
corn growers could have their worst crop in years as the harshest
drought in decades takes its toll.
The U.S. is by far the world's biggest
corn producer, and the United Nations has warned of higher food
prices.
The Agriculture Department slashed the
U.S. projected corn production to 10.8 billion bushels. That's down
from its forecast last month of close to 13 billion bushels. It would
be the lowest production since 2006.
The USDA says it expects corn growers
to average 123.4 bushels per acre, down 24 bushels from last year -
the lowest since 1995.
Soybean production is forecast at 2.69
billion bushels, a 12% decline from last year. Expected yields on
average of 36.1 bushels per acre would be the lowest since 2003.
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