Farmland Productivity

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on national farmland productivity, focusing on the yield per acre of corn, wheat, upland cotton, and soybeans. GAO noted that: (1) there are significant national variations at both the state and county levels in farmland productivity; (2) in any given year, short-term variances in weather or other factors can distort farmland productivity; (3) on a statewide basis, average land productivity can be two to four times as great as the national average, depending on the crop; and (4) the 10-year national average yields for these crops are 115.6 bushels of corn, 627.8 pounds of upland cotton, 36.7 bushels of wheat, and 34.1 bushels of soybeans.