In its November World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, the USDA says American farmers broke another yield record for corn.

Dan Basse, president of Ag Resource company in Chicago, says the yield of 175.4 bushels per acre topped last year's record of 174.6.

He notes the corn harvest has been slow to date.

"We would put the corn harvest somewhere in the vicinity of 77 to 82 per cent [complete]. Farmers have been slow to harvest corn because of low prices and the crop needed to dry down. Interestingly enough, this is going to be the third or fourth slowest US corn harvest in history. When we have these kind of slow harvests, it usually means big yields."

Basse wonders if a corn yield of 180 would be attainable, given that this year's record of 175.4 was reached under less than ideal growing conditions.