Indiana farmers intend to plant less corn and more soybeans compared to last year, according to Nathanial Warenski, State Statistician with USDA NASS’ Indiana Field Office.
Warenski projects Indiana’s corn acres at 5.1 million acres, down 6% from last year. He says Hoosier producers intend to plant 5.9 million acres of soybeans, up 4% from a year ago. The winter wheat acreage seeded last fall for harvest in 2022 is estimated at 310,000 acres, down 9% from the crop seeded in 2020. Hay acres intended for dry hay harvest is unchanged from last year at 540,000 acres.
Nationally, USDA says farmers intend to plant 89.5 million acres, down four percent or 3.87 million acres from last year. Soybean planted area is estimated at a record 91 million acres, four percent higher than in 2021.
The all-wheat planted area this year will be 47.4 million acres, one percent higher than last year. If realized, this would be the fifth-lowest all-wheat planted area since records began in 1919.
USDA also released their quarterly grain stocks report on Thursday. According to Warenski, Indiana corn stocks totaled 548 million bushels, 6 percent above a year earlier. About 57 percent of the corn was stored on farms. The second quarter disappearance was 336 million bushels, compared with 313 million bushels a year earlier. Soybean stocks on March 1, 2022, were 165 million bushels. That was 16 percent higher than stocks a year earlier. Farm stocks of soybeans were 70 million bushels. The second quarter indicated disappearance was 107 million bushels, compared with 106 million bushels during the same period last year. Wheat stocks on March 1 were 18.2 million bushels, 57 percent above a year ago. Third quarter indicated disappearance was 4.06 million bushels, compared with 5.62 million bushels last year.
Nationally, corn stocks in all positions on March 1 totaled 7.875 billion bushels, two percent higher than March 1, 2021. Soybeans in all positions on March 1 totaled 1.93 billion bushels, 24 percent higher than the same time last year. All wheat in stored positions totaled 1.02 billion bushels, down 22 percent from last year.
Sources: USDA NASS Indiana Field Office and NAFB News Service
