STAT Communications Ag Market News

Record Spring Wheat Yields

WASHINGTON - Jan 10/14 - SNS -- Production of spring wheat other than durum for 2013 is estimated at 534 million bushels, down 2% from 2012, according to the USDA's final production estimates for the 2013 crop.

Harvested area totaled 11.3 million acres, down 6% from last year. The United States yield is estimated at a record high 47.1 bushels per acre, up 2.1 bushels from last year.

Due to wet spring conditions, planting got off to a slow start in North Dakota and Minnesota. By April 14, producers had sown 6% of the Nation's spring wheat crop, 27 percentage points behind last year and 7 percentage points behind the 5-year average. By May 12, seeding delays of over three weeks and over two weeks were evident in Minnesota and North Dakota respectively, due to unseasonable weather conditions and limited fieldwork.

Crop maturation continued behind normal throughout the growing season for all States. As a result, 64% of the spring wheat crop was harvested by September 1, twenty-nine percentage points behind last year and 5 percentage points behind the 5-year average.

Only active subscribers can read all of this article.

If you are a subscriber, please log into the website.

If you are not a subscriber, click here to subscribe to this edition of the STAT website and to learn more about becoming a subscriber.