Trends in Production Practices and Costs of the U.S. Corn Sector

by Monica Saavoss, Thomas Capehart, William D. McBride, and Anne Effland

Corn for grain is a major field crop in the United States, with wide-ranging uses including animal feed, ethanol, food, beverages, industrial products, and exports. This report describes the technological and structural changes in U.S. corn production over 1996-2018, and describes how these changes have affected farm expenditures, net returns, productivity, yields, and production costs.

Keywords: Corn, farm characteristics, agricultural production costs, agricultural production practices, cost and returns, organic corn, Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS)

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