United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Michigan Field Office Cooperating with Michigan Department of Agriculture Vol. 33 No. 2 Agriculture Across Michigan February 2012 USDA to Measure the Financial Health of Ag Industry The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will spend the next several months contacting farmers and ranchers across the State of Michigan to conduct the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). The results of this survey will serve as a baseline for numerous federal policies and programs that affect U.S. farms and farm families. "ARMS is the USDA's primary tool for gauging the financial condition and production practices on American farms and ranches," said Jay Johnson, director of the NASS Michigan Field Office. "By participating in this survey, Michigan farmers directly impact the decisions that affect them, their families and their operations." NASS conducts ARMS jointly with USDA's Economic Research Service. In an effort to obtain the most accurate data, the federal agencies will reach out to nearly 35,000 producers nationwide, including nearly 450 in Michigan, during the months of February and March. The survey asks the producers to provide data on their operating expenditures, production costs and household characteristics. "Decision makers from all facets of U.S. agriculture will use the collective information from ARMS to answer questions and make important decisions concerning the economic viability of American agriculture, the rural economy and other emerging issues," explained Johnson, "That's why it is imperative for all farmers contacted by NASS to provide responses and help shape the future of U.S. agriculture." ARMS survey responses will be compiled, and NASS will publish the annual Farm Production Expenditures report, to be released on August 2, 2012. Farm Economic Data will be published by the Economic Research Service (ERS-USDA) in several separate reports later in 2012. As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential by law. "NASS safeguards the confidentiality of all responses and publishes only state- and national-level data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified," stated Johnson. All NASS reports are available online at: www.nass.usda.gov. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, please call the Michigan Field Office at (800) 453-7501. January Agricultural Prices Prices received by Michigan farmers for the full month of December 2011 and mid-month prices as of January 15, 2012, are listed in the table below. Some Michigan highlights were: corn $5.65 per bushel, up $0.02 from December and up $0.40 from last year; soybeans $11.30 per bushel, up $0.10 from last month; milk $19.50 per cwt, down $1.00 from last month, but up $2.10 from last year. Prices received by farmers, January 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : Michigan : United States : :-----------------------:----------------------- Commodity :Unit : Jan : Dec : Jan : Jan : Dec : Jan : :2011 1/:2011 1/:2012 2/:2011 1/:2011 1/:2012 2/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : Dollars : : Beans, dry edible : Cwt : 32.00 49.50 52.70 26.20 41.80 45.80 Corn : Bu : 5.25 5.63 5.65 4.94 5.86 5.90 Hay, all : Ton :102.00 103.00 103.00 112.00 177.00 172.00 Oats : Bu : 3.74 (D) (D) 3.13 3.57 3.62 Potatoes : Cwt : 11.20 11.90 12.30 9.08 9.08 9.08 Soybeans : Bu : 11.80 11.20 11.30 11.60 11.50 11.70 Wheat, winter : Bu : 6.28 6.07 6.00 6.35 6.41 6.25 : : Milk, all : Cwt : 17.40 20.50 19.50 16.70 19.80 19.20 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual firms 1/ Entire month weighted average price. 2/ Mid-month price. 2012 Release Schedule for 2011 County Estimates Commodity Anticipated Release Date Oats February 9 Winter Wheat February 9 Corn for Grain February 23 Soybeans February 23 Dry Edible Beans July 19 Sugar Beets July 19 Cattle & Calves May 3 Cash Rents September 7 Michigan Cattle Inventory All cattle and calves in Michigan as of January 1, 2012 were 1,110 thousand head, an increase of 2 percent from last year. Michigan highlights from the January 1 report are as follows: $ Beef cow numbers increased 10 percent to 109,000. Beef replacement heifers were unchanged at 27,000 head. $ Milk cows increased 3 percent to 371,000 head. Heifers for milk cow replacement increased to 158,000 head. $ The 2011 calf crop was 390,000 head, up 1 percent from 2010. Cattle inventory, January 1, 2011-12 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Michigan : United States :--------------------------------------- Class : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : All cattle and calves : 1,090 1,110 92,682 90,769 Cows : 460 480 39,999 39,112 Beef : 99 109 30,850 29,883 Milk : 361 371 9,150 9,230 Replacement heifers : 225 230 19,576 19,388 Beef : 27 27 5,139 5,212 Milk : 148 158 4,568 4,527 Other : 50 45 9,869 9,649 Steers 500 pounds and over : 190 173 16,397 16,072 Bulls 500 pounds and over : 15 17 2,155 2,052 Calves under 500 pounds : 200 210 14,555 14,145 Cattle on feed : 170 150 14,013 14,121 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan Vegetable Summary 2011 Michigan produced 7.89 million hundredweight (cwt) of fresh market vegetables in 2011, down 6 percent from 2010. This included the dual purpose crops of asparagus, celery, bell peppers, pumpkins and squash. The value of fresh market vegetables, at the farm level, was over $178 million, up 2 percent from 2010. "Despite the decrease in production from 2010, Michigan maintained its ranking as the eighth largest State in the value of fresh market vegetables for 2011," said Jay Johnson, director of the NASS Michigan Field Office. Fresh market vegetable and melon production in the U.S. for the 24 selected crops estimated in 2011 totaled 435 million hundredweight, down 2 percent from last year. Harvested area covered 1.70 million acres, down 1 percent from 2010. Value of the 2011 crop is estimated at 11.1 billion dollars, up 1 percent from a year ago. The three largest crops, in terms of production, are onions, head lettuce, and watermelons, which combined to account for 37 percent of the total production. Tomatoes, head lettuce, and romaine lettuce claim the highest values, accounting for 29 percent of the total value when combined. For the 24 selected vegetables and melons estimated in 2011, California continues to be the leading fresh market State, accounting for 44 percent of the harvested area, 50 percent of production, and 50 percent of the value. U.S. Processing production of eight selected vegetables estimated in 2011 totaled 17.0 million tons, down 4 percent from last year. Area harvested is estimated at 1.05 million acres, down 8 percent from a year ago. Processing crop value is estimated at 1.76 billion dollars, 6 percent above 2010. The three largest crops, in terms of production, are tomatoes, sweet corn, and snap beans, which combine to account for 92 percent of the total. The top three crops in terms of value are tomatoes, sweet corn, and cucumbers. These three processing vegetables account for 80 percent of the total value when combined. For the eight processed vegetables estimated in 2011, California leads the nation with 26 percent of the harvested acreage, 72 percent of the production, and 55 percent of the value. Vegetables: Michigan and U.S., 2010-2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Michigan : United States :----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item : Harvested : Production : Harvested : Production :----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ---- Acres ---- --- 1,000 cwt -- ----- Acres ---- ------ 1,000 cwt ----- : Fresh market : Asparagus 1/ : 10,500 9,800 168 216 28,000 27,300 799 840 Beans, snap : 3,200 2,900 144 160 88,500 94,700 5,062 5,367 Cabbage : 3,000 3,300 840 759 66,700 62,400 23,238 21,129 Carrots : 1,900 1,800 475 468 66,000 72,000 23,237 22,012 Celery 1/ : 1,900 1,800 1,000 882 28,000 28,200 19,923 19,098 Corn, sweet : 9,400 9,500 940 893 250,100 242,450 29,628 28,089 Cucumbers : 4,300 3,700 903 703 44,200 40,200 8,385 7,099 Onions 2/ : 4,000 3,400 880 816 104,670 99,230 56,152 54,627 Peppers, bell 1/: 1,600 1,300 368 351 53,200 54,300 16,156 17,618 Pumpkins 1/ : 6,800 6,800 952 986 48,500 47,300 10,748 10,713 Squash 1/ : 6,600 6,400 1,320 1,216 44,400 47,100 6,728 7,437 Tomatoes : 2,000 2,000 400 440 103,000 99,710 27,961 30,406 : : ---- Acres ---- ----- Tons ----- ----- Acres ---- -------- Tons -------- Processing : Beans, snap : 14,800 15,600 58,910 52,560 193,060 163,950 766,040 680,960 Carrots 3/ : 12,610 12,190 317,130 338,590 Cucumbers : 31,000 31,600 198,400 176,960 87,900 82,630 551,370 482,030 Tomatoes : 3,500 3,500 115,500 105,000 288,900 267,800 12,776,280 12,396,150 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Dual purpose crops. Processing included in fresh market. 2/ Summer storage. 3/ Michigan data included in Other States to avoid disclosure of individual operations. Sheep and Goat Inventory All sheep and lamb inventory in Michigan on January 1, 2012, was estimated at 79,000 head, an increase of 7 percent from 2011. The breeding sheep inventory, 58,000 head, was unchanged from last year. Market sheep and lambs totaled 21,000 head, an increase of 5,000 from last year. The 2011 Michigan lamb crop was 64,000 head, up 4,000 from the previous year. The number of sheep and lambs shorn in Michigan, 66,000 head, was up 3,000 from the previous year. Michigan shorn wool production in 2011 was 410,000 pounds, up 8 percent from 2010. The average price paid for wool in Michigan was $0.60 per pound, an increase of 5 cents from the previous year. The total value of wool was $246,000, 18 percent above the 2010 value. As of January 1, it was estimated that there were 10,000 milk goats in Michigan, down from 10,800 a year earlier. The Michigan meat and other goat inventory estimate was 18,000 head, 3,500 above the January 1, 2011, count. Sheep inventory, January 1, 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Michigan : United States :--------------------------------------- Class : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : All sheep and lambs : 74 79 5,480 5,345 Breeding sheep and lambs : 58 58 4,080 3,975 Ewes : 44 43 3,225 3,155 Rams : 3 3 190 170 Replacement lambs : 11 12 665 650 Total market sheep and lambs : 16 21 1,400 1,370 : Previous year's lamb crop : 60 64 3,570 3,510 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Goat inventory, January 1, 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Michigan : United States :--------------------------------------- Class : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : Angora : 1/ 1/ 172 146 Milk : 10.8 10.0 360 360 Meat and other : 14.5 18.0 2,464 2,356 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations. December Milk Production Dairy herds in Michigan produced 722 million pounds of milk during December, up 4.2 percent from a year ago. The daily rate per cow was 62.9 pounds, up 1 pound from December 2010. The dairy herd was estimated at 370,000 head for December, up 9,000 from a year earlier. The average price of milk sold in December by Michigan dairy producers was $20.50 per cwt., $2.90 above the price in December 2010. Michigan dairy summary, December 2011 --------------------------------------------------------- Item : Unit : 2009 : 2010 : 2011 --------------------------------------------------------- Cows : 1,000 Hd: 354 361 370 Milk per cow : Lb/day : 61.6 61.9 62.9 Production : Mil lbs : 676 693 722 Milk price, all : Dol/cwt : 16.60 17.60 20.50 Fat test : Pct : 3.70 3.79 3.75 Protein 1/ : Pct : 3.14 3.18 3.17 --------------------------------------------------------- 1/ FMO 33 Chickens and Eggs All layers in Michigan totaled 10.8 million during December, up 5 percent from a year ago. Egg production totaled 272 million eggs, up 8 percent from last year. The rate of lay during December was 2,519 eggs per 100 layers. On January 1 in the East North Central Region, which includes Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, there were 6.5 million egg-type eggs in incubators, down 13 percent from a year earlier. In the same region, there were 11.8 million broiler-type eggs in incubators, down 4 percent from the previous year. There were 24.5 million turkey poults hatched in the U.S. in December, up 4 percent from 2010. Egg and hatchery production, December 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Percent Item : Unit : 2010 : 2011 : Change -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan : : All layers : Thou : 10,269 10,796 5 Eggs per hundred layers : Num : 2,454 2,519 3 Eggs produced : Mil : 252 272 8 East North Central Region : : Eggs in incubators, Jan 1 : : Egg-type : Thou : 7,508 6,517 -13 Broiler type : Thou : 12,327 11,776 -4 U.S. : : All Layers : Thou : 342,661 338,209 -1 Eggs per hundred layers : Num : 2,311 2,344 1 Eggs produced : Mil : 7,920 7,929 0 Turkey Eggs in incubators, Jan 1 : Thou : 27,764 28,146 1 Turkey Poults hatched, Dec : Thou : 23,519 24,498 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- February Potato Stocks Fall potato stocks in Michigan on February 1, 2012, were estimated at 4.7 million hundredweight (cwt). February's stocks represent 31 percent of the total production, down 20 percent from last year's 5.9 million cwt. Stocks by type were 84 percent round white and 16 percent russet. Stocks include potatoes stored by both processors and growers. Michigan disappearance of this year's crop, from harvest to February 1, 2012, totaled 10.48 million cwt. Disappearance from last year's crop during the comparable time period was 9.76 million cwt. Disappearance includes sales, shrink, and waste. Thank You to our Data Providers The USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office and enumerator staff are pleased to provide you and the Michigan agricultural industry with current, reliable information as summarized in the following articles. This service is possible because you and other respondents provided us with timely survey responses. Thank you!