Updated Virginia agricultural crop forecast

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced Thursday that dry conditions for most of August have lowered Virginia’s row crop yield prospects. Based on conditions as of September 1, Virginia producers expected lower yields for soybean and cotton according to the Virginia Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Soybean producers expect to harvest an average of 40 bushels per acre from 600,000 acres, a decrease of 2 bushels per acre from the previous forecast of 42 bushels per acre on August 1. Production is expected to total 24.0 million bushels.

The state’s cotton yield is forecast at 1,022 pounds per acre, down from 1,050 pounds per acre on August 1. Cotton producers will harvest 77,000 acres in 2013 which is down 8,000 acres from the previous year. Production is expected to total 164 thousand bales.

The state’s peanut yield is forecast to be 4,100 pounds per acre. This is a 600 pound per acre increase from the August forecast. Production is expected to total 65.6 million pounds from 16,000 acres for harvest.

Virginia corn yields are expected to average 145 bushels per acre, no change from the previous forecast on August 1. Production is expected to total 46.4 million bushels, which is up 29 percent from last year.

Nationally, corn production is forecast at 13.8 billion bushels, up less than 1 percent from the August forecast and up 28 percent from 2012. If realized, this will be a new record production for the United States. Based on conditions as of September 1, yields are expected to average 155.3 bushels per acre, up 0.9 bushels from the August forecast and 31.9 bushels above the 2012 average. If realized, this will be the highest average yield since 2009. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 89.1 million acres, unchanged from the August forecast but up 2 percent from 2012.

U.S. soybean production is forecast at 3.15 billion bushels, down 3 percent from August but up 4 percent from last year. If realized, production will be the fourth largest on record. Based on September 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 41.2 bushels per acre, down 1.4 bushels from last month but up 1.6 bushels from last year. Area for harvest in the United States is forecast at 76.4 million acres, unchanged from August but up slightly from 2012.