Christensen Sales Corp.



Wisconsin Ag News Headlines
USDA Issues 2008 Wisconsin Crop Production Review
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 01/15/2009

The USDA has issued its annual assessment of the previous crop year this week. According to the Wisconsin Ag Statistics Service, cool weather and frequent precipitation in the spring left many fields saturated, delaying planting and slowing crop emergence. That was followed by severe storms with heavy rain and high winds, which prevented fieldwork and left standing water in many fields in Central and Southern Wisconsin in June. Through most of the summer crops were rated mostly good to excellent as soils dried out. By mid-August, producers were hoping for rain and warmth. Spotty rain showers in late August and early September were not enough in many areas to prevent stress to corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and pastures. Warm weather in the fall gave crop development a final boost and allowed crops to mature before a hard frost.

Corn: Wisconsin farmers planted 3.80 million acres to corn in 2008, a 6 percent decrease the previous year. Of those acres planted, 2.88 million were harvested for grain with a yield of 137.0 bushels per acre. This year's corn crop produced 395 million bushels. Silage area harvested increased 130,000 acres, reaching 875,000 acres in 2008. Corn silage acres yielded 17.5 tons per acre for 2008, up 1.5 tons. Silage production was 15.3 million tons, compared to 11.9 million tons in 2007.

Soybeans: Soybean acres planted in Wisconsin rose to 1.61 million acres in 2008, a rebound from 1.40 million acres in 2007. Statewide soybean yield was 35.0 bushels per acre, down 5.5 bushels from the previous year. The 2008 soybean crop produced 55.7 million bushels, down slightly from a year ago.

Small Grains: In Wisconsin, area seeded to winter wheat in the fall of 2007 was 350,000 acres, an increase of 60,000 acres from a year earlier. Area harvested for grain was 335,000 acres, a 24 percent increase from the previous year. Yield dropped 2.0 bushels per acre from last year to reach 66.0 bushels per acre. The increased acreage planted and harvested offset the decrease in yield for winter wheat production. As a result, production reached 22.1 million bushels, a new state record and an increase of 20 percent from 2007.

Wisconsin seeded 270,000 acres to oats in 2008, unchanged from a year earlier. Statewide, farmers harvested 190,000 acres for grain, 30,000 more acres than a year ago. Yield decreased 5.0 bushels per acre from 2007 to reach 62.0 bushels per acre. Overall production was 11.8 million bushels, a 10 percent increase from 2007.

Barley area seeded in Wisconsin rose 3,000 acres, to 43,000 acres in 2008. Acres harvested for grain was 30,000 in 2008, compared to 23,000 acres in 2007. Barley yield decreased 3.0 bushels from the previous year, reaching 54.0 bushels per acre. Wisconsin barley production was 1.62 million bushels this year.

In Wisconsin, other spring wheat area planted increased from 9,000 acres in 2007 to 23,000 acres in 2008. Area harvested for grain was 22,000 acres in 2008, compared to 8,000 acres in 2007. The increase in acreage planted and harvested is directly related to an increase in wheat price. Yield increased 6.0 bushels to 41.0 bushels per acre. Other spring wheat production increased from 280,000 bushels in 2007 to 902,000 bushels in 2008. Other spring wheat was planted to 14.1 million acres nationwide.

Hay: Wisconsin farmers harvested 1.50 million acres of alfalfa or alfalfa mixture dry hay in 2008, down 50,000 acres from 2007. Yield rose from 2.40 tons per acre in 2007 to 2.70 tons per acre in 2008. Alfalfa and alfalfa mixture dry hay production was 4.05 million tons in 2008, up from 3.72 million tons a year earlier. Alfalfa haylage or greenchop was harvested from 1.40 million acres in Wisconsin during 2008, up 50,000 acres from 2007. Yield (green weight) was 6.70 tons per acre, up from 6.50 tons per acre. Alfalfa haylage or greenchop production was 9.38 million tons statewide, up 7 percent from 2007.

All other hay harvested as dry hay accounted for 400,000 acres in Wisconsin during 2008, a 20,000 acre decline from 2007. Yield was 1.90 tons per acre, up from 1.60 tons per acre in 2007 and 2006. Production of all other hay harvested as dry hay totaled 760,000 tons in 2008, compared to 672,000 tons a year earlier.

Potatoes: Wisconsin farmers planted 63,500 acres of fall potatoes, down 1,000 acres. Area harvested in 2008 was 62,000 acres, down 2,000 acres from the previous year. Potatoes yielded 415 hundredweight (cwt.) per acre statewide in 2008, compared to 440 cwt. per acre a year earlier. Wisconsin potato production was 25.7 million cwt. in 2008.

Dry Edible Beans: Dry beans planted in Wisconsin during 2008 totaled 6,500 acres, an increase of 400 acres from 2007. The number of acres harvest also climbed by 400 acres, to reach 6,400 acres. State dry bean production in 2008 totaled 136,000 cwt. with a yield of 2,130 pounds per acre. Wisconsin produces mostly dark red kidney beans and placed second in the nation for the production of those beans.

Mint: Wisconsin farmers harvested 3,700 acres of peppermint and 1,000 acres of spearmint in 2008. Peppermint yielded 48 pounds per acre and spearmint yielded 30 pounds per acre compared to 59 pounds per acre and 40 pounds per acres respectively in 207. Peppermint production, at 178,000 pounds, was down 34 percent from the previous year, while spearmint production, at 30,000 pounds, was down 32 percent.


Other Wisconsin Headlines
Easy Way Cattle Care
U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc.
Copyright © 2024 - Farms.com. All Rights Reserved.