Virginia wheat producers expect larger crop

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced today that the 2013 wheat crop is expected to total 16.7 million bushels. If realized, production will be up 7 percent from 2012.

Producers in the Commonwealth are expected to harvest 270,000 acres of wheat that will yield an average of 62 bushels per acre. As of early May, the majority of the wheat crop is in fair to good condition.

Nationally, U.S. winter wheat production is forecast to be down ten percent from 2012. That production is forecast at 1.49 billion bushels. As of May 1, the U.S. yield is forecast at 45.4 bushels per acre, down 1.8 bushels from 2012.

This is an initial forecast released by the Virginia Field Office of the National Agriculture Statistics Services of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.