Washington, DC
June 29, 2007
U.S. farmers planted 92.9 million
acres of corn in 2007, exceeding last year’s planted area by 19
percent and surpassing the March projection by 3 percent,
according to the Acreage report released today by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The actual
planted acreage is the highest since 1944, when farmers planted
95.5 million corn acres.
Driven by favorable prices, growing ethanol demand and strong
export sales, farmers in nearly all states increased their corn
acreage. They set state records in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota
and North Dakota, while Iowa continued to lead all states in
total corn acres.
The increase in corn is offset mainly by fewer acres of soybeans
in the Corn Belt and Great Plains, and fewer acres of cotton in
the Delta and Southeast. Nationwide, NASS estimates planted
soybean area at 64.1 million acres, down 15 percent from last
year’s record high and down 5 percent from the March forecast.
Area planted to cotton totals 11.1 million acres, marking a 28
percent drop from 2006 and the lowest level since 1989.
The Acreage report shows that the nation’s farmers continued to
embrace biotechnology. Corn growers planted 73 percent of their
acres with biotech seed varieties, an increase of 12 percent
from 2006. Cotton farmers planted 87 percent of their acres with
biotech varieties, up 4 percent from 2006, and soybean producers
planted 91 percent of their acres with biotech seed, up 2
percent from 2006.
NASS’s acreage estimates are based on surveys conducted during
the first two weeks of June on approximately 11,000 segments of
land and from a sample of approximately 88,000 farm operators
across the United States. Acreage and all other NASS reports are
available online at
www.nass.usda.gov.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS)
ACREAGE
- Corn Planted Acreage Up 19
Percent from 2006
- Soybean Acreage Down 15 Percent
- All Wheat Acreage Up 6 Percent
- All Cotton Acreage Down 28 Percent
Corn planted area for all
purposes is estimated at 92.9 million acres in 2007, up 19
percent from 2006 and
14 percent higher than 2005. Farmers increased corn plantings 3
percent from their March intentions,
resulting in the highest planted area since 1944 when 95.5
million acres were planted for all purposes. Wet
conditions during March and April delayed field preparations and
planting activities in the Corn Belt and
Great Plains. Conditions dried out considerably in the eastern
Corn Belt and Ohio Valley during May
allowing producers to make good planting progress, but the lack
of precipitation reduced topsoil moisture and
increased stress on the crop. Meanwhile, excessive rainfall in
parts of the western Corn Belt, central and
southern Great Plains, and middle Mississippi Valley during much
of May continued to hamper fieldwork.
Despite the weather related delays, growers made rapid progress
and planting was completed ahead of the
average pace. Farmers reported that 99 percent of the intended
corn acreage had been planted at the time of
the survey interview which is slightly above the average for the
past 10 years.
The 2007 soybean planted area is estimated at 64.1
million acres, down 15 percent from last year’s record
high. Area for harvest, at 63.3 million acres, is also down 15
percent from 2006. This is the lowest planted
and harvested area for soybeans since 1995. With the exception
of New York, Pennsylvania, and the
Southeast States, planted acreage decreased in all States across
the country. Growers in Illinois and Iowa
showed the largest decrease in soybean acreage from last year,
down 1.75 million acres and 1.35 million
acres, respectively. Large declines in soybean area occurred
across the Corn Belt and Great Plains, with
planted acreage also down more than one million acres from last
year in Indiana, Minnesota, and Nebraska.
Many farmers across the country shifted to planting more corn
this year at the expense of soybeans. However,
increases in soybean area occurred across the Southeast, where
some farmers shifted from cotton to corn and
soybeans. New York and Pennsylvania both set new record high
planted areas, at 215,000 and 440,000 acres,
respectively. Nationally, farmers reported that 88 percent of
the intended soybean acreage had been planted at
the time of the survey interview, compared with the average of
81 percent for the past 5 years.
All wheat planted area is estimated at 60.5 million
acres, up 6 percent from 2006. The 2007 winter wheat
planted area, at 45.1 million acres, is 11 percent above last
year and up 1 percent from the previous estimate.
Of this total, about 32.4 million acres are Hard Red Winter,
8.80 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and
3.91 million acres are White Winter. Area planted to other
spring wheat for 2007 is estimated at 13.1 million
acres, down 12 percent from 2006. Of this total, about 12.6
million acres are Hard Red Spring wheat. The
Durum planted area for 2007 is 2.23 million acres, up 19 percent
from the previous year.
All cotton plantings for 2007 are estimated at 11.1
million acres, 28 percent below last year and the lowest
since 1989. Upland planted area is estimated at 10.8 million
acres, also down 28 percent from 2006. Lower
upland planted acres are estimated for nearly all States with
the largest decline in Texas, at 1.40 million acres
below 2006. Large decreases in acreage also occurred in the
Southeast and Delta regions. American-Pima
cotton growers planted 298,000 acres, down 9 percent from last
year.
Full report:
http://www.usda.gov/nass/PUBS/TODAYRPT/acrg0607.pdf |
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