The U.S. Midwest is on track to produce the largest corn crop in 75 years, with more than half the seasonal crop planted as of April 30 compared to just 12 percent during the same time in 2011, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.
Overall, production is expected to reach nearly 96 million acres, the most of any year since 1937. In Iowa, farmers have planted 50 percent of their corn crop, and in Minnesota the corn crop is 48 percent complete. Twelve percent of the current year's soybean crop has also been planted, compared with 6 percent in the last week of April. The five-year average is 5 percent.
