Local farmers are in the fields harvesting corn and soybeans, the result of months of work and investment. The recent sunny, dry weather has kept combines moving from dawn to dark.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture reports that Montgomery County farmers raise nearly 50,000 acres of soybeans annually and about 40,000 acres of corn. This varies year-to-year as farms rotate crops to preserve soil nutrients.

Montgomery County ranks 42 out of Ohio’s 88 counties in corn production, according to the USDA. Darke County is the top producer in the state.

Most U.S. raised corn and soybeans are used in livestock feed; some corn is used in ethanol production. Corn is also processed into a multitude of food and industrial products, including starch, sweeteners, corn oil, and beverage and industrial alcohols.

The chart below from the USDA shows that 2026 Ohio corn crops are in good/excellent condition and some of the best we’ve had in the past few years.

According to the USDA, the U.S. is the largest producer, consumer, and exporter of corn in the world.

International Corn Buyers Visit Farmersville
A trade group of corn importers from Latin America visited the Leis Farm on Chicken Bristle Road in Farmersville on October 19 to see the Ohio corn harvest firsthand.

The tour was organized by the Ohio Corn and Wheat Board and by the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council. They were hosted by Nathan Leis, who represents farmers from Montgomery, Preble and Darke County on the Ohio Corn Checkoff Board.

The visitors were from seven Latin American countries and are grain buyers, some representing cities and government organizations. Many of these countries import corn for use in swine and poultry feed.

The Corn Checkoff, a part of Ohio Corn and Wheat, is funded by farmers who pay three-quarters of a penny per bushel of corn to the organization to promote Ohio corn to domestic and global buyers.

“We are trying to create more demand,” Leis said. “Whether it's exports, ethanol or livestock, we want more demand to hopefully increase the price of our crops and improve farmer profitability.”

The tour group had the opportunity to see a combine and how local farmers haul and store grain.

An agronomist from Ohio State University spoke about what Ohio is doing to prevent fungi like vomitoxin from damaging the corn crop and affecting livestock feed.

According to Ohio Corn and Wheat, “Latin America is an important export market for U.S. corn, ethanol, and other corn-based products. Trade missions like this help strengthen those relationships, build confidence in U.S. agricultural products, and support export opportunities that directly benefit Ohio farmers and the state's agricultural economy.”

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