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Virginia farmers to plant more peanuts, oats and hay this year

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virginia-newAccording to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Virginia farmers intend to plant more peanuts, oats and hay this year, but less cotton, tobacco, winter wheat and soybeans. Corn acreage is unchanged.

¨ Peanut growers intend to plant 20,000 acres in 2015, up 5 percent from the planted acreage in 2014.

¨ Barley acreage seeded last fall for all uses was 57,000 acres, up 1,000 acres from last year.

¨ Oat growers intend to plant 12,000 acres in 2015, up 20 percent from the previous year.

¨ Hay producers expect to cut 1.20 million acres in 2015, up 2 percent from 2014.

¨ Corn plantings are expected to total 500,000 acres in 2015, unchanged from 2014.

¨ Cotton growers intend to plant 85,000 acres in 2015, down 2 percent from last year.

¨ Fire-cured tobacco growers intend to harvest 280 acres, down 50 acres from last year.

¨ Flue-cured tobacco growers expect to harvest 19,500 acres in 2015, down 13 percent from 2014.

¨ Burley tobacco growers expect to harvest 1,400 acres in 2015, down 7 percent from last year.

¨ Soybean plantings, at 650,000 acres, are down 2 percent from 2014.

¨ Winter wheat plantings totaled 260,000 acres, down 10 percent from last year.

The March 1 planting intentions are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Actual plantings may change based on weather, input costs, commodity prices, etc. and will be reflected in the acreage report released June 30.

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