Wisconsin Expected to See Record Crop Yields, But Other Factors Working Against Them

Sunday, October 12th, 2025 -- 9:00 AM

(Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) Corn production nationally is expected to be 13 percent higher than last year, with Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and six other states expected to see record yields, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s September forecast.

According to Joe Schulz with Wisconsin Public Radio, while soybean production nationally will be down slightly from last year, several states, including Wisconsin, could still see record high yields.

Yet while weather and management have set farmers up for strong production, other factors are working against them. High input costs, low crop prices and strained international markets could combine to make it a tough year for crop farmers across the Midwest and Great Plains, experts say.

“A lot of what the farmers could control, they did and did well, which is leading to really strong production,” said Chad Hart, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University.

“But almost everything that’s outside of their control has moved against them this year.” Strong yields across the country tend to drive crop prices down, Hart said. And corn prices are already lower than they were just a few years ago.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers enjoyed high prices with corn peaking in 2022 at around $7 per bushel. Since then they’ve fallen to around $4 per bushel, according to the USDA. Even as the President promises a bailout will be coming to farmers soon, growers face an uncertain future.

A survey of 1,034 farmers released in September by the National Corn Growers Association showed that nearly half believe the U.S. economy is on the brink of a farm crisis, and two-thirds were more concerned about their farm’s finances than a year ago.

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