Indiana farmers planted 6.0 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2014, unchanged from a year ago, according to Greg Matli, State Statistician of the USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office. “Planting began late due to a cool and wet early spring, but fields dried out in early May, allowing producers to catch up,” stated Matli. “Rapid planting during the last week of May brought planting progress up to normal.” Corn acreage expected to be harvested for grain, at 5.85 million acres, is also unchanged from last year.
Soybean acreage planted or to be planted for all purposes in Indiana is estimated at 5.5 million acres, nearly 6 percent above the 2013 planted acreage level. Soybean acreage for harvest is expected to total 5.49 million acres, also up 6 percent from a year earlier. Winter wheat seeded acres of 430,000 in Indiana are down 9 percent from the previous year. Area expected to be harvested for grain, at 360,000 acres, is down 18 percent from a year ago and down 8 percent from the May 1 forecast. Wheat yield and production will be updated in the July 11 Crop Report. Oat seeded acreage of 20,000 is unchanged from 2013. Oat acres expected to be harvested, at 8,000, are down 2,000 acres from the previous year. Producers expect to harvest 600,000 acres of dry hay in 2014. Alfalfa hay acreage, at 240,000 acres, is down 40,000 acres from last year, while all other dry hay acreage, at 360,000 acres, is unchanged from 2013.
Nationally, corn planted area for all purposes in 2014 is estimated at 91.6 million acres, down 4 percent from last year. This represents the lowest planted acreage in the United States since 2010; however, this is the fifth largest corn acreage in the United States since 1944. U.S. soybean planted area for 2014 is estimated at a record high 84.8 million acres, up 11 percent from last year. Area for harvest, at 84.1 million acres, is up 11 percent from 2013 and will be a record high by more than 7.4 million acres, if realized. Record high planted acreage is estimated in Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
All wheat planted area for the U.S. for 2014 is estimated at 56.5 million acres, up less than 1 percent from 2013. The 2014 winter wheat planted area, at 42.3 million acres, is down 2 percent from last year but up less than 1 percent from the previous estimate. Of this total, about 30.4 million acres are Hard Red Winter, 8.50 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and 3.41 million acres are White Winter. Area planted to other spring wheat for 2014 is estimated at 12.7 million acres, up 10 percent from 2013. Of this total, about 12.0 million acres are Hard Red Spring wheat. The intended Durum planted area for 2014 is estimated at 1.47 million acres, down slightly from the previous year.