Kentucky Corn Yield & Precision Agriculture Data 2026

USDA NASS · Updated October 2026

Kentucky Corn yield is forecast at 193.0 bu/acre for 2026 (USDA Oct forecast) — about 11.8 bu/ac above the US average of 181.2 bu/ac. State-level estimates, sourced directly from USDA NASS.

193.0 ▲ 15.6% vs 2025 Bu/acre yield 2026 · Oct forecast
+11.8 vs US avg 181.2 Gap to national average
$4.45 per bushel Current farm price
179.6 bu/ac 7-yr avg
193.0 bu/ac, 2026 7-yr high
$859 at 193.0 bu/ac Gross revenue/acre

Corn yield trend

Kentucky vs the US average, 2020–2026 (7 years of USDA NASS data)

Kentucky US average
Kentucky Corn yield vs US average, 2020–2026
YearKentucky (bu/ac)US average (bu/ac)
2020184171.4
2021192176.7
2022156173.4
2023187177.3
2024178179.3
2025167186.5
2026193181.2

How Kentucky compares

Top Corn-producing states, 2026 yield

StateYield (bu/ac)vs US avg
Washington229+26.4%
Iowa219+20.9%
Illinois208+14.8%
Indiana200+10.4%
Ohio200+10.4%
Mississippi196+8.2%
Minnesota195+7.6%
Idaho194+7.1%

Precision ag platforms used by Kentucky Corn farmers

Overview of major platforms — features and fit for different operation sizes. No sponsored content.

Filter:
Climate FieldView by Bayer
Field mapping, yield analysis, variable-rate prescriptions. 250M+ acres globally. Tight John Deere integration. Note: owned by Bayer, recommends Bayer seed products.
Row cropsJohn DeereVRTPaid
Granular by Corteva
Farm management + agronomic records + financial tracking in one platform. Best fit for large operations needing both field data and business management tools.
Farm managementFinancialsLarge opsPaid
Farmonaut
Satellite NDVI crop monitoring at the lowest price point in the market. Free tier available. Good entry point for operations not yet using precision ag data platforms.
SatelliteNDVIFree tierEntry level
OneSoil
European-built satellite field mapping with free basic plan. Strong on automatic field boundary detection and NDVI visualization. No hardware required.
SatelliteNDVIFree planNo hardware

Precision ag ROI calculator

Estimate annual savings for your Kentucky Corn farm based on acreage and current yield

🌽 Precision Ag ROI Calculator

Estimate the payback on variable-rate seeding, zone-based fertility, and overlap reduction for your farm.

5000 ac
193 bu/ac
Annual savings
$245,000/yr
Payback period
5 mo
3-year ROI
658%

Estimate only — based on industry-average implementation costs (variable-rate seeding $18/ac, zone-based fertility $22/ac, overlap reduction $9/ac; $12,000 fixed + $17/ac ongoing) and USDA yield benchmarks, not a quote.

USDA funding for precision ag in Kentucky
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) pays about 75% of the typical cost of eligible precision-agriculture and conservation practices (90% for beginning and other historically underserved producers) — including variable-rate technology, soil sensors, and farm data platforms. Kentucky Corn farmers may qualify for significant cost-share assistance. EQIP accepts applications year-round — contact your local USDA Service Center for your state's ranking cutoff and eligibility requirements.
Kentucky EQIP guide →
Explore more data
Kentucky · Soybeans Kentucky · Wheat Illinois · Corn Indiana · Corn
Data source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Crop Production report, Oct forecast 2026. The 2026 figure is a USDA forecast and will be replaced automatically when NASS publishes its next forecast or the final estimate. All yield figures are state-level estimates published by USDA NASS; this page refreshes automatically when NASS releases new numbers. nass.usda.gov