Total U.S. wheat acreage down in 2010
Farm and Ranch July 1, 2010 USDA’s June 30th Planted Acreage report put total U.S. wheat plantings for harvest this year at 54.3 million acres, down eight percent from 2009. Lance Honig, Chief of the Crops Branch of USDA’s Agricultural Statistics Service says that total included less winter wheat but more spring wheat. Honig: “Uh winter wheat acres remained at 37.7 million acres planted this year. Virtually unchanged from March, down 13% from a year ago due to some late row crop harvest issues and poor seeding conditions we saw last fall. Other spring wheat acres at 13.9 million acres virtually unchanged from March intentions. That is up nearly five percent from last year.” Durum acreage is up five percent. In the Pacific Northwest farmers planted 4.6 million acres of wheat, up about three percent from last year. Winter wheat acres were up in Washington, Oregon and Idaho with an increase in spring wheat in Idaho and Oregon but a decline in Washington from 2009. USDA says barley plantings nationally are the lowest on record at 2.97 million acres, a 17 percent drop from last year. Harvested barley acres could be the lowest since 1883. In the PNW only Oregon farmers increased barley plantings. USDA pegged corn plantings at 87.9 million acres up two percent from 2009 with soybeans at a record high of 78.9 million acres, also up two percent. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net. ? ? ?
