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Winter wheat production forecast down 13 percent from last year

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virginia-newThe Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced today that Virginia farmers expect to harvest 15.3 million bushels of winter wheat during 2015, down 13 percent from the previous year. This is according to the Virginia Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The forecast was based on crop conditions as of June 1 and decreased four percent from the May forecast.

Growers expect a yield of 68.0 bushels per acre, unchanged from 2014 and down three bushels from May. Farmers seeded 260,000 acres last fall with 225,000 acres to be harvested for grain. Acres for other uses totaled 35,000 acres and will be used as cover crop for tobacco or cut as silage or hay.

On June 1, 78 percent of the winter wheat crop was rated in good to excellent condition.

Winter wheat production for the nation was forecast at 1.51 billion bushels, up two percent from the May 1 forecast and up nine percent from 2014. Based on June 1 conditions, the United States yield is forecast at 44.5 bushels per acre, up one bushel from last month and up 1.9 bushels from last year. The expected area to be harvested for grain or seed totals 33.8 million acres, up five percent from last year.

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