The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced today that Virginia farmers expect to harvest 16.0 million bushels of winter wheat during 2015. This is according to the Virginia Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The expected crop for 2015 would be down 10 percent from the previous year. Farmers seeded 260,000 acres last fall with 225,000 acres to be harvested for grain. Based on crop conditions as of May 1 and assuming a normal growing season, farmers expect a yield of 71.0 bushels per acre, up 3.0 bushels from 2014. Acres for other uses totaled 35,000 acres and will be used as cover crop or cut as silage or hay.
Winter wheat overall is in good condition with farmers currently scouting for pests and applying fungicides, but the long harsh winter has delayed crop progress. Forty-three percent of the crop is headed compared to 61 percent at this time last year and 74 percent for the five year average.
Winter wheat production for the nation was forecast at 1.47 billion bushels, up 7 percent from 2014. The expected area to be harvested for grain or seed totals 33.8 million acres, up 5 percent from last year. As of May 1, the U.S. yield was forecast at 43.5 bushels per acre, up 0.9 bushels from last year.
As of May 1, Virginia on-farm hay stocks totaled 370,000 tons, down 100,000 tons from May 1, 2014 stocks. Farmers have used 81 percent of their hay stocks since December 1, 2014. Producers are beginning to cut and bale hay in the state as temperatures are increasing. All are hoping for a good crop to make up for winter’s hay shortage. Both alfalfa and all other hay are in good to fair condition.
U.S. hay stocks were at 24,517 million tons, up 5,341 thousand tons from 2014.
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AFP
