A perspective on changes across the U.S. Corn Belt

Corn production in the U.S. Corn Belt has become more robust and spatially equitable over the past five decades. These changes have been driven in part by land-use conversions from small grains to corn and soybean in places one considered marginal for those crops. Corn production in the U.S. has become more robust in part because of acreage changes but also because of significant increases in the yield trend over the past few decades. Production of corn has also become spatially equitable because the current yield trends are strongest in places where production of corn has historically been lower.