CROPS

KANSAS AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE

Kansas Department of Agriculture

PO Box 3534

Topeka, KS 66601-3534

Phone: 785-233-2230

Released: January 12, 2005

Volume 05, No. 1

                                               Kansas

                      2004 Crop Production Summary

CORN: Corn production for grain totaled a record 432.0 million bushels, up 16.8 million bushels from the November forecast, and 132.0 million bushels above last year’s production of 300.0 million bushels. The yield averaged 150 bushels per acre, 1 bushel below the November forecast but 30 bushels above the 2003 yield. Planted area was 3.10 million acres, up 200,000 acres from the previous year. Acreage harvested for grain, at 2.88 million acres, was up 380,000 acres from the area harvested in 2003. Corn silage production, at 2.55 million tons, was 17 percent below the production of 3.08 million tons in 2003.

SORGHUM: Production of sorghum for grain in Kansas totaled 220.4 million bushels in 2004. Production was down 2.9 million bushels from the November forecast but 89.9 million bushels above last year. The yield, at 76 bushels per acre, was 31 bushels higher than a year earlier. Kansas farmers planted 3.20 million acres, 350,000 acres fewer than last year. Harvested area for grain was 2.90 million acres, unchanged from 2003. Sorghum silage production, at 910,000 tons, was up 63 percent from last year.

SOYBEANS: Production of Kansas soybeans totaled a record 111.1 million bushels in 2004. This was up 410,000 bushels from the November forecast and 54.1 million bushels above last year’s production. Yield per acre was 41 bushels, unchanged from November but 18 bushels better than 2003 and a new record. Harvested acreage was 2.71 million acres, up 9 percent from the acres harvested last year.

HAY: Production of all types of hay was 7.9 million tons, down 1.10 million tons from the previous forecast but up 880,000 tons from the previous year. Alfalfa production, at 3.80 million tons, was up 12 percent from the 2003 crop of 3.40 million tons, while other hay production, at 4.08 million tons, was up 13 percent from last year. Alfalfa acreage harvested was down 50,000 acres from 2003. Other hay harvested increased 150,000 acres compared with the year earlier.

New seeding of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures was 55,000 acres, down 75,000 from last year.

WHEAT: Wheat production was 314.5 million bushels, down 34 percent from the 2003 crop. Acres planted totaled 10.0 million, down 500,000 acres from 2003. Acreage harvested, at 8.5 million acres, was down 1.5 million acres from the previous year. Yield for the 2004 crop was 37 bushels, 11 bushels below 2003.

OTHER CROPS: Dry bean production, at 153,000 cwt., was down 78,000 cwt. from 2003. Sunflower production totaled 226.4 million pounds, 10 percent above last year’s production of 205.0 million pounds. Cotton production, at 130,000 bales, compares to 89,500 bales in 2003. Producers harvested 80,000 acres of cotton, unchanged from the acres harvested in 2003. Summer potato production totaled 13,600 hundredweight.

1/ All harvested only includes acres harvested for grain and silage. 2/ Yield in pounds.

United States Crop Summary

CORN: The 2004 corn for grain production was estimated at 11.8 billion bushels, up less than 1 percent from the November forecast and up 17 percent from the 10.1 billion bushels produced in 2003. The average U.S. grain yield is estimated at 160.4 bushels per acre, 0.2 bushel above the November forecast and up 18.2 bushels from 2003. Both yield and production estimates are the largest on record. The previous record for both was set last year when production was estimated at 10.1 billion bushels and yield was 142.2 bushels per acre. Planted area totaled 80.9 million acres, up 3 percent from last year. Acres harvested for grain, at 73.6 million acres, is up 4 percent from 2003. Farmers harvested 6.10 million acres of silage, a 7 percent decrease from last year.

SORGHUM: Production of grain sorghum in 2004 is estimated at 455 million bushels, down 4 percent from the November forecast but 11 percent above 2003. Area harvested for grain is estimated at 6.52 million acres, down 16 percent from 2003. Average grain yield, at 69.8 bushels per acre, is down 2.1 bushels from the previous forecast but 17.1 bushels above the 2003 average yield.

SOYBEANS: Production of soybeans totaled 3.14 billion bushels in 2004, the largest U.S. soybean crop in history. This is down slightly from the November forecast but 28 percent above the 2003 level. The average yield per acre in 2004 is estimated at a record high 42.5 bushels, 0.1 bushel below the November 1 forecast but 8.6 bushels above the 2003 final yield. Planted area for the U.S., at 75.2 million acres, is up 2 percent from 2003. Harvested area totaled 74.0 million acres, up 2 percent from 2003.

ALL WHEAT: Production of wheat for 2004 is estimated at 2.16 billion bushels, fractionally below the Small Grain 2004 Summary, and 8 percent below 2003. Grain area is 50.0 million acres, down 6 percent from last year. The U.S. yield is 43.2 bushels per acre, down 1.0 bushel from a year earlier. U.S. Durum wheat production is down 7 percent from last year, other spring wheat is up 7 percent, and all winter wheat is down 13 percent from last year’s crop.

1/ Yield in pounds.

Wheat Seedings for 2005

Wheat seeded in Kansas in the fall of 2004 for the 2005 crop totaled 10.1 million acres, up 100,000 acres from the 2004 crop. Kansas wheat seeded by district for recent years is shown in the table below. Seeding of wheat acres began the first week of September and progressed slightly behind normal through completion. Dry conditions persisted throughout September, but widespread showers during October and November helped improve soil moisture for wheat germination. Wheat seeding was nearly complete by mid-November. Topsoil moisture at the end of November was rated 9 percent short to very short while subsoil moisture was 29 percent short to very short. Emergence lagged behind normal until the end of November when it moved to slightly ahead of normal. Ninety-six percent of the crop was emerged by November 29. Wheat condition decreased slightly from 81 percent good-to-excellent in mid-October to 77 percent good-to-excellent by the end of November.

Winter wheat seeded in the United States for harvest in 2005 is estimated at 41.6 million acres, down 4 percent from 2004. Approximate class acreage breakdowns are: Hard Red Winter, 30.5 million acres; Soft Red Winter, 6.6 million; and White Winter, 4.5 million acres.

Kansas Grain Stocks

Kansas wheat stocks in all positions on December 1 totaled 192.7 million bushels, 30 percent below last December. Wheat stored at off-farm locations (mills, elevators, warehouses, and processors) totaled 169.7 million bushels, which accounted for 88 percent of the total grain stocks. On-farm stocks, at 23.0 million bushels, were down 18 percent from the year earlier.

Sorghum grain in all positions totaled 167.8 million bushels, 55 percent above last year’s level. Off-farm stocks accounted for 119.8 million bushels and on-farm stocks 48.0 million bushels.

Kansas corn stocks in all locations, at 305.0 million bushels, were up 51 percent from last December. Off-farm stocks were 190.0 million bushels, which accounted for 62 percent of the total corn stocks. On-farm stocks, at 115.0 million bushels, were up 42 percent from last December.

Off-farm oat stocks were 716,000 bushels, down 24 percent from last December.

Kansas soybeans in all locations totaled 88.1 million bushels, a 92 percent increase from December 2003. Off-farm stocks, at 56.1 million bushels, were up 66 percent from last year and accounted for 64 percent of the total soybean stocks. On-farm stocks totaled 32.0 million bushels, up 20.0 million bushels from the previous year’s stocks.

Dave Ranek & Quentin Wearne, Agricultural Statisticians

Eldon J. Thiessen, Director

Eddie Wells, Deputy Director