Virginia corn could set a record for the 2013 production year

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced that Virginia’s corn yields are expected to be 154 bushels per acre, up 51 bushels from the previous year’s yield and up four bushels per acre from the November forecast. If realized, this will be a new record yield.

Total statewide production is estimated at 55.4 million bushels, 54 percent above the 2012 production. Corn for grain harvested area was 360,000 acres, up 10,000 acres from last year. Corn silage harvested acreage totaled 125,000 acres, with an average yield of 20.0 tons per acre.

Soybean yields averaged 38 bushels per acre, down four bushels from last year. Area harvested, at 590,000 acres, is an increase of 10,000 acres from last year’s soybean acreage.

Soybean production is estimated at 22.4 million bushels, eight percent less than last year’s production.

Virginia’s peanut producers harvested 16,000 acres, down 4,000 acres from 2012. Peanut yields averaged 4,000 pounds per acre, down 200 pounds per acre from last year. Peanut production is estimated at 64.0 million pounds, down 24 percent from the 2012 production.

Cotton production is estimated at 154,000 bales, down 22 percent from 2012. The cotton yield averaged 960 pounds per acre, down 158 pounds from last year. Producers harvested 77,000 acres in 2013, a decrease of 8,000 acres from last year.

Flue-cured tobacco yields averaged 2,200 pounds per acre, down 200 pounds per acre from last year’s yield of 2,400. Virginia’s production is expected to total 47.3 million pounds, down one percent from last year.

Burley tobacco yields averaged 1,900 pounds per acre, up 150 pounds from 2012. Fire-cured tobacco yields are estimated at 2,150 pounds per acre, down 150 pounds from last year. Burley production is estimated at 4.56 million pounds, down three percent from 2012. Fire-cured tobacco production is estimated at 753 thousand pounds, down 14 percent from last year.

Virginia wheat producers planted 320,000 acres of winter wheat, no change from last year but an increase of 40,000 acres from two years ago.

All hay production in Virginia is estimated at 3.08 million tons, up two percent from last year. Alfalfa production is 324 thousand tons, down seven percent from last year’s total.

All statistics are from the most recent survey by the National Agriculture Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.