LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in its latest forecast that Nebraska’s corn crop will hit 1.52 billion bushels, 3 percent higher than last year’s crop. The numbers released Wednesday are based on Oct. 1 conditions. The forecast is 2 percent lower than the Sept. 1 forecast of 1.54 billion bushels. Yield is forecast at 160 bushels an acre, the same forecast as last month. Soybean production is forecast at 262 million bushels, up 7 percent from last month but down 2 percent from last year’s crop. Yield is forecast at 54 bushels per acre. That’s a bushel under last month’s forecast for a record 55 bushels an acre. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in its latest forecast that Nebraska farmers will harvest about 6 million bushels of sorghum this fall – 11 percent less than a year ago and the smallest crop since 1953. The numbers released Wednesday are based on Oct. 1 conditions. The expected yield of 85 bushels an acre is 5 bushels less than last year. Harvested acreage is forecast at 71,000 acres, which is the least since 1937. The USDA also says Nebraska’s sunflower and dry edible bean production will drop this fall. Economists have said sorghum and other crops have been giving way to higher profit crops such as corn.