Washington, D.C.
March 31, 2006
National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS)
Agricultural Statistics Board
U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Corn Planted Acreage Down
5 Percent from 2005
- Soybean Acreage Up 7
Percent
- All Wheat Acreage Down
Slightly
- All Cotton Acreage Up 3
Percent
Corn growers intend to
plant 78.0 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2006, down
5 percent from 2005 and 4 percent below 2004. If realized,
this will be the lowest corn acreage since 2001 when 75.7
million acres were planted for all purposes. Expected acreage is
down from last year in most States as producers intend to switch
to other less input intensive crops due to high fertilizer and
fuel costs. Dry conditions also contributed to lower corn
planting intentions in the southern Great Plains.
Soybean producers intend to plant 76.9 million acres in
2006, up 7 percent from last year. If realized, this will
be the largest planted area on record. Acreage increases
are expected in all growing areas, except in the central and
southern Atlantic Coast States and the southern Great Plains.
The largest acreage increase is in North Dakota, where record
high soybean yields last year and high input costs have some
farmers shifting acreage from other crops to soybeans.
Large increases in soybean acreage are also expected across the
Corn Belt, including 600,000 more acres in Illinois and 500,000
more acres in Indiana.
All wheat planted area is expected to total 57.1 million
acres, down slightly from 2005. If realized, this will be
the lowest all wheat acreage since 1972. Winter wheat
planted area for the 2006 crop is 41.4 million acres, up 2
percent from last year. Of the total, about 29.8 million
acres are Hard Red Winter, 7.42 million acres are Soft Red
Winter, and 4.22 million acres are White Winter. The 2006 other
spring wheat planted acreage is expected to total 13.9 million,
down 1 percent from 2005. Of the total, about 13.2 million
acres are Hard Red Spring wheat. Intended Durum wheat
planted area is 1.83 million acres, down 34 percent from the
previous year. If realized, this will be the lowest Durum
wheat acreage since 1961.
All cotton plantings for 2006 are expected to total 14.6
million acres, 3 percent above last year. Upland acreage
is expected to total 14.3 million, also up 3 percent.
Growers intend to increase acreage in all the cotton producing
States except Alabama and South Carolina, where expected acreage
is down slightly from 2005. American-Pima cotton growers
intend to increase their plantings 24 percent from 2005, to a
record high 334,000 acres. California producers expect to
plant 290,000 acres, up 26 percent from last year.
Full report in PDF format:
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/nassr/field/pcp-bbp/pspl0306.pdf
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