The U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that soybean production in the country amounted to 3.36 billion bushels in 2009, which is up 13 percent from the amount seen in 2008. Production of the crop is the largest ever recorded by the department.
Corn production also saw a new high at an estimated 13.2 billion bushels. This is 1 percent higher than the previous 13 billion bushel record posted in 2007. On a per-acre basis, corn fields yielded 165.2 bushels, which is also a record. In 2004, 160.3 bushels of corn were produced per acre of field dedicated to the crop.
Though corn and soybean production saw record numbers, cotton production decreased in 2009. When compared to 2008, production of that crop fell 3 percent to an estimated 12.4 million 480-pound bales.
Both planting and harvesting was made difficult in parts of the country due to bad weather. Increased precipitation made it difficult for farmers to get agricultural equipment out into fields, which delayed their ability to harvest crops.
