The corn harvest will be larger than expected.

The Agriculture Department said that, based on surveys made Oct. 1, the crop is estimated at 8.6 billion bushels, up 2% from the forecast a month ago and 12% more than last year’s 7.66 billion bushels. The department’s Crop Reporting Board said that a killing frost hit the western and northern Corn Belt late last month and that some minor damage may have occurred. Most of the corn crop was mature enough to escape damage, however. Many other crops also are turning out well, including soybeans, cotton and wheat.