WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. — U.S. 2010 corn production was forecast at 12.664 billion bushels, down 4% from 13.16 billion bushels forecast in September and down 3% from a record 13.110 billion bushels in 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in its Oct. 8 Crop Production report. Soybean production was forecast at a record 3.408 billion bushels, down 2% from 3.483 billion bushels forecast in September but up 1% from 3.359 billion bushels last year.

The USDA corn production number was below the average pre-report trade estimate of 12.95 billion bushels. The USDA soybean number also was below the trade average of 3.491 billion bushels.

Based on Oct. 1 conditions, corn yield was forecast at 155.8 bushels an acre, down 6.7 bushels from the September forecast and 8.9 bushels below the 2009 record of 164.7 bushels an acre, the USDA said.

"Forecasted yields decreased from last month throughout much of the Corn Belt and Tennessee Valley," the USDA said. "Illinois showed the largest decline, down 14 bushels per acre. Indiana and Iowa are both down 10 bushels from the previous month, while Missouri and Nebraska declined nine bushels per acre."

Corn area harvested for grain in 2010 was forecast at 81.3 million acres, up slightly from September and up 2% from 2009, the USDA said.

Soybean yield based on Oct. 1 conditions was forecast at a record 44.4 bushels an acre, down 0.3 bushel from September but up 0.4 bushel from the previous record high of 44 bushels in 2009. Harvested area was forecast at 76.8 million acres, down 1% from September but up 1% from 2009.

The 2010 rice crop was forecast at 242,260,000 cwts, down 5% from 255,319,000 cwts forecast in September but up 10% from 219,850,000 cwts in 2009.

Sorghum production in 2010 was forecast at 337,229,000 bushels, down 10% from 376,469,000 bushels in September and down 12% from 382,983,000 bushels in 2009, the USDA said.