Corn:
Growers intend to plant 95.9 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2012, up 4 percent from last year and 9 percent higher than in 2010. If realized, this will represent the highest planted acreage in the United States since 1937 when an estimated 97.2 million acres were planted. Planted acreage is expected to be up in most States compared to last year due to expectations of better net returns in 2012 compared to other commodities.
Record corn acreage is expected in Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, while acreage is expected to decrease in the central and southern Great Plains which experienced severe drought and above normal temperatures in 2011.
Sorghum:
Growers intend to plant 5.95 million acres of sorghum for all purposes in 2012, up 9 percent from last year. If realized, Oklahoma acreage will represent a record low this year. Texas acreage is expected to be up from a record low last year. Kansas and Texas are the leading sorghum States and account for 76 percent of the expected United States acreage. As of March 25, Texas growers had planted 31 percent of their crop, 13 points behind last year and 5 points behind the 5-year average.
Winter wheat:
The 2012 winter wheat planted area is estimated at 41.7 million acres, up 3 percent from 2011 but down 1 percent from the Winter Wheat Seedings report. Of the 2012 acreage, about 29.9 million acres are Hard Red Winter, 8.4 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and 3.5 million acres are White Winter. Nationally, more acres were seeded this year due to higher prices and acreage rebounds in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, where dry conditions had limited 2011 planted acres. If realized, planted acres will be record highs in North Carolina and North Dakota but record lows in Nebraska and Ohio.
Durum wheat:
Area seeded to Durum wheat is estimated at 2.22 million acres, up 62 percent from 2011. Planted acreage is expected to be up or unchanged from last year in all producing States. The largest acreage increases are expected in Montana and North Dakota, where planted acres were limited last year due to excessively wet conditions during the planting season.
Other spring wheat:
Growers intend to plant 12.0 million acres, down 3 percent from 2011. Of the total, about 11.3 million acres are Hard Red Spring wheat. Planted acreage is expected to be down in all producing States except Montana. A record low acreage is expected to be planted in South Dakota.
Rice:
Area planted to rice in 2012 is expected to total 2.56 million acres, down 5 percent from 2011 and the lowest planted acreage since 1987. Higher prices for competing commodities and poor export demand contributed to the expected decline in rice acres compared with last year. While long and short grain acres are expected to be up slightly, medium grain acres are down 24 percent from last year.
Area planted to rice in Arkansas, the largest rice-producing State, is at the lowest level since 1989. In California, where water supply remains questionable, growers intend to plant 7 percent fewer acres to rice than in 2011. If realized, area planted to rice in Mississippi will be the lowest since 1977.
Hay:
Producers intend to harvest 57.3 million acres of all hay in 2012, up 3 percent from last year’s record low. If realized, this will be the second smallest harvested area on record. Producers in several States - Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania - intend to harvest record low acreages. Producers in Illinois expect to harvest a record-tying low acreage.
Generally, all hay harvested acreage east of the Mississippi River is expected to decrease in 2012. Conversely, producers from the Great Plains westward intend to harvest more hay this season following the unusually dry conditions that limited hay production in 2011.
Soybeans:
Growers intend to plant an estimated 73.9 million acres in 2012, down 1 percent from last year and down 5 percent from 2010. Compared with last year, planted acreage intentions are down in many areas as some acreage is expected to shift to corn. Additionally, soybean acreage intentions in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas are down from 2011 due to drought conditions that have continued from last year into early March. If realized, the planted area in New York and North Dakota will be the largest on record and the planted area in Pennsylvania will tie the previous record.
Cotton:
Growers intend to plant 13.2 million acres in 2012, down 11 percent from last year. Upland acreage is expected to total 12.9 million acres, down 11 percent from 2011. American Pima acreage is expected to total 270,000 acres, down 12 percent from 2011.
Field preparation is taking place in the southeast while planting is underway in southern Texas and Arizona. As of March 25, cotton planting in Texas was 9 percent complete, 2 points ahead of last year and 4 points ahead of the 5-year average. Heavy precipitation in the Delta Region has delayed fieldwork in some areas and eased the drought in Louisiana. A mild winter in some cotton growing areas has producers bracing for potentially higher than normal insect and weed pressure.
For More Information
Coverage and Analysis of March 30 Reports
