STAT Communications Ag Market News

Sorghum Forecast Slips

WASHINGTON - Nov 9/17 - SNS -- Sorghum production is forecast at 356 million bushels, down 2% from the October forecast and down 26% from last year, according to the latest crop estimates from the USDA.

Area harvested for grain is forecast at 5.05 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast but down 18% from last year. Based on November 1 conditions, yield is forecast at 70.4 bushels per acre, 1.8 bushels lower than the October forecast and 7.5 bushels below the 2016 record high yield of 77.9 bushels per acre.

As of October 29, 96% of the crop was mature, slightly ahead of the five-year average. At that time, 59% of the crop had been harvested, 16 percentage points behind the same time last year and 10 percentage points behind the five-year average pace.

Sorghum for Grain Area Harvested, Yield, and Production - States and United States: 2016 and
Forecasted November 1, 2017
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 :   Area harvested    :          Yield per acre          :     Production
                 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      State      :          :          :          :         2017          :          :
                 :   2016   :   2017   :   2016   :-----------------------:   2016   :   2017
                 :          :          :          : October 1 :November 1 :          :
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 :     1,000 acres        ---------- bushels ---------         1,000 bushels
                 :
Arkansas ........:     44          7       73.0       80.0        80.0        3,212        560
Colorado ........:    415        375       50.0       55.0        53.0       20,750     19,875
Kansas ..........:  2,950      2,360       91.0       82.0        80.0      268,450    188,800
Louisiana .......:     46         13      102.0       90.0        90.0        4,692      1,170
Mississippi .....:     11          4       89.0       89.0        89.0          979        356
Missouri ........:     54         24       95.0       90.0        83.0        5,130      1,992
Nebraska ........:    175        150      102.0       96.0        96.0       17,850     14,400
Oklahoma ........:    370        280       55.0       45.0        43.0       20,350     12,040
South Dakota ....:    200        225       79.0       65.0        63.0       15,800     14,175
Texas ...........:  1,750      1,500       66.0       66.0        64.0      115,500     96,000
                 :
Other States 1/ .:    148        111       51.0       49.1        56.4        7,548      6,265
                 :
United States ...:  6,163      5,049       77.9       72.2        70.4      480,261    355,633
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ Other States include Georgia, Illinois, New Mexico, and North Carolina. Individual State
   level estimates will be published in the "Crop Production 2017 Summary."

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