STAT Communications Ag Market News

Record Spring Wheat Yields Seen

WASHINGTON - Jul 12/18 - SNS -- Production of spring wheat other than durum is expected to jump 48% to 614 million bushels, according to the USDA's latest crop production estimates.

The United States yield is forecast at a record high 47.6 bushels per acre, up 6.6 bushels from a year ago. Of the total production, 584 million bushels are Hard Red Spring wheat, up 52% from last year. The area expected to be harvested for grain or seed totals 12.9 million acres, unchanged from the Acreage report released on June 29, 2018, but 27% above 2017. Record high yields are forecast in Minnesota and North Dakota for 2018.

Due to a wet spring in some parts of the growing area, spring wheat planting and development started out behind the normal pace but caught up by July 1. In the six major producing States, 58% of the crop was at or beyond the heading stage as of July 1, two percentage points ahead of last year and 10 percentage points ahead of the 5-year average. As of July 1, 77% of the other spring wheat crop was rated in good to excellent condition, compared with 37% at the same time last year.

Other Spring Wheat Area Harvested, Yield, and Production - States and
United States: 2017 and
Forecasted July 1, 2018
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :   Area harvested    :   Yield per acre    :     Production
      State     :-----------------------------------------------------------------
                :   2017   :   2018   :   2017   :   2018   :   2017   :   2018
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :  -- 1,000 acres --      --- bushels ---        1,000 bushels
                :
Idaho ..........:     410        415      86.0       86.0      35,260     35,690
Minnesota ......:   1,130      1,560      67.0       67.0      75,710    104,520
Montana ........:   2,290      2,850      21.0       33.0      48,090     94,050
North Dakota ...:   5,070      6,500      41.0       48.0     207,870    312,000
Oregon .........:      73         63      63.0       55.0       4,599      3,465
South Dakota ...:     670      1,020      31.0       41.0      20,770     41,820
Washington .....:     490        475      45.0       45.0      22,050     21,375
                :
Other States 1/ :      26         16      72.6       65.6       1,887      1,050
                :
United States ..:  10,159     12,899      41.0       47.6     416,236    613,970
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ Other States include Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. Individual State level
   estimates will be published in the "Small Grains 2018 Summary."

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