February 20, 2009

The value of North Dakota's crop production last year reached US$6.59 billion, down from just 1 percent from the record 2007 total of US$6.65 billion, according to the Agriculture Department.

The decrease was small as some farmers were able to contract early last year for high prices before the commodity markets started crumbling, said Dwight Aakre, farm management specialist with the North Dakota State University Extension Service.

North Dakota farmers last year produced 5-percent more bushels of spring wheat and corn, with corn output in the state setting a record. However, the value of both crops decreased 1 percent over the year, with spring wheat falling by US$18.5 million to US$1.72 billion and corn dropping by US$8.8 million to US$1.1 billion.

Production-wise, the spring wheat crop helped offset some of the price drop, said Jim Peterson, marketing director for the North Dakota Wheat Commission.

Peterson also said while wheat prices were about US$20 per bushel in spring 2007, the average spring wheat price over that marketing year was less than half that amount.