July 1, 2010

 

Total US wheat acreage down in 2010

USDA's June 30th Planted Acreage report put total US wheat plantings for harvest this year at 54.3 million acres, down 8% 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.

 

"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 5% from last year," Honig says. Durum acreage is up 5%.

 

In the Pacific Northwest farmers planted 4.6 million acres of wheat, up about 3% 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% 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 2% from 2009 with soy at a record high of 78.9 million acres, also up 2%.