by King Whetstone, Regional Director, USDA-NASS, Northeastern Regional Field Office
NORTHEASTERN REGION AND U.S. ACREAGE REPORT
Following up to the Prospective Plantings report released in late spring, 90,000 farm operators were surveyed during the first two weeks of June to gather information on what farmers actually planted. The following information came from the June 30 Acreage report based on a June 1 reference date.
Corn planted area for all purposes in the U.S. in 2021 is estimated at 92.7 million acres, up 2% or 1.87 million acres from last year. Compared with last year, planted acreage is expected to be up or unchanged in 28 of the 48 estimating States.
The U.S. 2021 soybean planted area is estimated at 87.6 million acres, up 5% from last year. Compared with last year, planted acreage is up in 23 major producing States. Area for harvest, forecast at 86.7 million acres, is up 5% from 2020. If realized, this will be the third highest planted and harvested soybean acreage on record.
All wheat planted area in the U.S. for 2021 is estimated at 46.7 million acres, up 5% from 2020. This represents the fourth lowest all wheat planted area since records began in 1919. The 2021 winter wheat planted area, at 33.7 million acres, is up 11% from last year and up 2% from the previous estimate.
Delaware - Delaware farmers indicate that they have planted 175,000 acres of corn this spring, down 3% from 2020. A total of 170,000 acres are expected to be harvested for grain with the remaining acres harvest for silage or other uses. Farmers indicate that they will also plant 160,000 acres of soybeans, up 7% from last year. Winter wheat planted is set at 60,000 acres and barley planted at 21,000 acres. Farmers expect to harvest 45,000 acres of winter wheat and 14,000 acres of barley in 2021. Hay will be cut from an estimated 3,000 acres of alfalfa and 8,000 acres of other types of hay. A record low harvested acreage is expected for all hay.
Maryland – Maryland farmers are expected to plant 470,000 acres of corn in 2021, down 10,000 acres from 2020. They expect to harvest 390,000 acres for grain, with the remaining acreage harvested for silage or other uses. Soybean planted acreage is expected to be 490,000 acres, up 1% from 2020. Winter wheat planted is set at 345,000 acres and barley planted at 36,000 acres. Farmers also report that they will harvest 160,000 acres of winter wheat and 20,000 acres of barley in 2021. In addition, farmers expect to harvest 34,000 acres of alfalfa and 155,000 acres of other types of hay.
New England –New England farmers are expected to plant 171,000 acres of corn in 2021, up 2% from 2020. Record low planted area is estimated in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Also, New England farmers expect to harvest 41,000 acres of alfalfa and 391,000 acres of other types of hay. Record lows, for all hay harvested area, are expected in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont in 2021.
Connecticut - Corn planted for all purposes in 2021 is estimated at 26,000 acres, up 8% from the previous year. Growers expect to harvest 45,000 acres of hay, down 2% from last year. Other hay is estimated at 40,000 acres, no change from the previous year. Alfalfa hay is estimated at 5,000 acres, down 17% from 2020.
Maine - Corn planted for all purposes in 2021 is estimated at 31,000 acres, up 3% from 2020. Oat planted area for 2021 is estimated at 28,000 acres, up 8% from last year. Oat area harvested for 2021 is estimated at 24,000 acres, up 9% from 2020. Growers expect to harvest 114,000 acres of hay, up 10% from the previous year. Other hay is estimated at 105,000 acres, up 11% from 2020. Alfalfa hay is estimated at 9,000 acres, unchanged from the previous year. Area planted to potatoes in 2021 is estimated at 56,000 acres, with harvested area at 55,500 acres, both up 5,000 acres from the previous year.
Massachusetts - Corn planted for all purposes in 2021 is estimated at 14,000 acres, the same as the previous year. Growers expect to harvest 66,000 acres of hay, up 10% from last year. Other hay is estimated at 60,000 acres, up 9% from 2020. Alfalfa hay is estimated at 6,000 acres, up 20% from the previous year.
New Hampshire - Corn planted for all purposes in 2021 is estimated at 13,000 acres, unchanged from 2020. Growers expect to harvest 42,000 acres of hay, unchanged from last year. Other hay is estimated at 37,000 acres, with alfalfa hay estimated at 5,000 acres, both also unchanged from the previous year.
Rhode Island - Corn planted for all purposes in 2021 is estimated at 2,000 acres, unchanged from the previous year. Growers expect to harvest 5,000 acres of hay, unchanged from last year. Other hay is estimated at 4,000 acres, with alfalfa hay estimated at 1,000 acres, both also unchanged from the previous year.
Vermont - Corn planted for all purposes in 2021 is estimated at 85,000 acres, unchanged from last year. Growers expect to harvest 160,000 acres of hay, down 4% from last year. Other hay is estimated at 145,000 acres, down 3% from 2020. Alfalfa hay is estimated at 15,000 acres, down 12% from the previous year.
New Jersey - New Jersey farmers reported an increase for planted corn from 2020. Total corn planted acreage in 2021 at 90,000 acres, is up 3% from last year’s 87,000 acres. Producers planted or will plant 100,000 acres of soybeans, up 6,000 acres from 2020. Winter wheat acreage for harvest, at 18,000 acres, is unchanged from the previous year as the harvest gets underway. Farmers intend to harvest 100,000 acres of all hay, down 6% from 2020.
New York - New York farmers planted an estimated 330,000 acres of soybeans in 2021, up 5% from the previous year. Empire State farmers planted 1.05 million acres of corn for all purposes, unchanged from the acreage planted in 2020. Acreage for grain is expected to total 500,000 acres, down 2% from the previous year. Winter wheat planted area is set at 150,000 acres, unchanged from the previous year. Oat seedings totaled 50,000 acres in 2021, down 4% from last year. Acreage to be harvested for grain is estimated at 36,000 acres, up 13% from the previous year. Barley seeded area is estimated at 11,000 acres in 2021, up 22% from last year. Acreage for harvest for all types of dry hay is expected to total 1.13 million acres, up 7% from 2020. Alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures for dry hay, at 280,000 acres, is down 7% and acres for other types of dry hay, at 850,000 acres, is up 12% from a year earlier.
Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania growers expect to harvest 900 thousand acres of grain corn, down 10% from last year; and 630,000 soybean acres, unchanged from 2020. Planted soybean acres is estimated at a record high 640,000 acres, also unchanged from the previous year. Keystone small grain acreage for harvest is expected to be 185,000 wheat acres, down 3% from last year; 35,000 acres of oats, down 36% from the previous year; and 30,000 barley acres, unchanged from 2020. All acres for harvest of dry hay in Pennsylvania are estimated at 1.21 million acres, down 11% from the previous year. Burley tobacco harvested acreage is forecast at 2,800 acres; Southern Maryland Belt tobacco acreage is forecast at 400 acres; and Pennsylvania Seedleaf tobacco is forecast at 2,300 acres, all types unchanged from the previous year.
NORTHEASTERN REGION AND U.S. CROP FORECASTS
Here are the latest results for the 2021 crops based on crop conditions as of July 1 for published states in the Northeastern Region and United States.
Maine – Oat yield is expected to be 70 bushels, up 7 bushels from the previous year; production is expected to be up 21% from the previous year, at 1.68 million bushels.
Maryland – Winter wheat yield is expected to be up 2 bushels from the previous year at a record high 75 bushels; production is expected to be up 10% at 12.0 million bushels.
New York - Oat yield is expected to be up 12 bushels from 2020 at 65 bushels; production is expected to be up 38% at 2.34 million bushels.
Pennsylvania - Oat yield is expected to be 62 bushels, up 12 bushels from the previous year; although production is expected to be down from the previous year at 2.17 million bushels.
United States - Winter wheat production is forecast at 1.36 billion bushels, up 16% from 2020. Based on July 1 conditions, the United States yield is forecast at 53.6 bushels per acre, up 2.7 bushels from last year’s average yield of 50.9 bushels per acre. If realized, this will be the second highest United States yield on record. Area expected to be harvested for grain or seed totals 25.4 million acres, up 11% from last year. Record high yields are forecast in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas for 2021.
Oat production is forecast at 41.3 million bushels, down 37% from 2020. If realized, this would be the lowest production on record. Growers expect to harvest 722,000 acres for grain, down 28% from 2020. Based on conditions as of July 1, the United States yield is forecast at 57.2 bushels per acre, 7.9 bushels below the 2020 average yield. Record low production is expected in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
________________________________________________________________________________
To Growers: I would like to thank you for your contribution to U.S. agriculture and support of our programs. I hope you will continue to support NASS by returning your survey form as soon as possible, or answering our questions over the telephone or if someone comes to visit.
Be assured, as with all NASS surveys, the information respondents provide is confidential by law. NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only state and national-level data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.
All reports are available on the NASS website at www.nass.usda.gov.
Editor’s Note: This is a monthly column from the Northeastern Regional Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS-NERFO). The website is www.nass.usda.gov; for the reports mentioned below, click on the “Publications” tab.