Corn quality above five-year average

WASHINGTON — The U.S. corn crop that entered the marketing channel this fall had a higher average test weight, lower moisture and lower total damage than the previous five years.

The U.S. Grains Council revealed the findings with its 10th annual Corn Harvest Quality Report based on 601 yellow corn samples taken from within 12 of the top corn-producing and exporting states.

Inbound samples were collected from local grain elevators to measure and analyze the quality at the point of origin and provide representative information about the variability of the quality characteristics across diverse geographic regions.

The report provides reliable U.S. corn quality information from farm to the customer based on transparent and consistent methodology.

Results are shared by USGC global staff and grower-leaders in a series of crop quality seminars around the world. That process began Dec. 11 in Southeast Asia and will continue virtually with events scheduled in January in Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Northeast Asia and Mexico.

This report will be followed by the Corn Export Cargo Quality Report in a few months that focuses on export cargo samples and tracks grain quality from the elevator to port.

“Through trade, the council is committed to the furtherance of global food security and mutual economic benefit. We offer this report to assist buyers in making well-informed decisions by providing reliable and timely information about the quality of the current U.S. crop,” said USGC Chairman Jim Raben of Ridgway, Illinois.

“This year’s ample supply allows the United States to remain the world’s leading corn exporter, accounting for an estimated 36.4% of global corn exports during the marketing year.”

While wet weather conditions in April and May contributed to historic delays in planting and crop maturity in 2019, the 2020 crop was planted slightly ahead of the average pace of the previous five crops and experienced generally favorable conditions during the remainder of the growing season, resulting in a corn crop with both high grain quality and yield.

Here are some key findings in the report:

Grade Factors, Moisture

• Higher test weight of 58.7 pounds per bushel than 2019 and the five-year average. The proportion of samples above the minimum requirement for U.S. No. 2 grade this year (99.3%) was higher than in 2019 and 2018, when 89.9% and 98.2% of samples were at or above this minimum requirement, respectively.

• Lower average broken corn and foreign material (0.8%) than 2019, but same as the five-year average. While the average is the same as the five-year average, 98.5% of the samples were below the limit for U.S. No. 2 grade.

• Lower average total damage (1.1%) than 2019 and the five-year average. The proportion of samples below the maximum limit for U.S. No. 1 grade this year (91.5%) was lower than in 2019 and 2018, when 73.5% and 88.5% of samples were at or below this maximum limit, respectively.

• Average heat damage of 0.0% was the same as 2019, 2018 and the five-year average. Only one sample in the survey tested above 0.0%. That sample had 0.1% heat damage.

• Lower average moisture content (15.8%) than 2019 and the five-year average. The distribution shows that 42.2% of the samples were at or below 15% moisture content as compared to 26.7% and 35.1% in 2019 and 2018, respectively. This distribution indicates fewer samples required artificial drying in 2020 than in the two previous years.

Chemical Composition

• Protein concentration (8.5% dry basis) was higher than in 2019 and similar to the five-year average.

• Starch concentration (72.2% dry basis) was slightly lower than in 2019 and the five-year average.

• The average oil concentration (3.9% dry basis) was lower than in 2019 and the five-year average.

Physical Factors

• The 2020 crop had a lower percentage of stress cracks (6%) than in 2019, but slightly higher than the five-year average.

• 100-kernel weight (34.53 grams) was lower than in 2019 and the five-year average, indicating smaller kernels than the previous two years.

• The average true density (1.255 grams per cubic centimeter) from the 2020 crop was higher than in 2019 and similar to the five-year average.

• The whole kernel average (92.5%) was higher than in 2019 and similar to the five-year average.

• Average horneous, or hard, endosperm of 81% was the same as in 2019 and 2018.

Mycotoxins

• All 2020 samples but one, or 99.4%, tested at or below the U.S. Food and Drug Administration action level for aflatoxin of 20 parts per billion, and 99.4% of the samples tested below 5 ppb.

• In 2020, 100% of the samples tested at or below the 5 parts per million FDA advisory level for deoxynivalenol, the same as in 2019 and 2018. Also, 98.3% of the samples tested below 1.5 ppm, a higher proportion than in 2019 and 2018.

• In 2020, 98.9% of the samples tested below the FDA’s strictest guidance level for fumonisin of 5 ppm, a higher proportion than in 2019.