Winter Durum Crop Drops 24%

WASHINGTON *- May 10/16 - SNS -- Production of Durum wheat in Arizona and California is forecast at a collective 15.5 million bushels, down 24% from 2015, according to the latest USDA crop report.

In Arizona, the crop was 60% headed by May 1, fourteen percentage points behind last year and 23 percentage points behind the 5-year average. In southern California, harvest is expected to begin in mid-May.

Durum Wheat Area Harvested, Yield, and Production - States and United States:
2015 and Forecasted May 1, 2016
[Blank data cells indicate estimation period has not yet begun. Area
harvested for the United States and remaining States will be published in
"Acreage" released June 2016. Yield and production will be published in "Crop
Production" released July 2016]
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                :   Area harvested    : Yield per acre  :     Production
      State     :-------------------------------------------------------------
                :   2015   :   2016   :  2015  :  2016  :   2015   :   2016
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :    1,000 acres        --- bushels --       1,000 bushels
                :
Arizona ........:    140        89      101.0    106.0     14,140     9,434
California .....:     60        55      103.0    111.0      6,180     6,105
Montana ........:    605                 31.0              18,755
North Dakota ...:  1,075                 39.5              42,463
                :
Other States 1/ :     16                 59.1                 946
                :
United States ..:  1,896                 43.5              82,484
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ Other States include Idaho and South Dakota. Individual State level
   estimates will be published in the "Small Grains 2016 Summary".