United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Great Lakes Region Vol. 34 No. 4 Agriculture Across Michigan April 2013 Michigan Prospective Planting Report The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released its annual Prospective Plantings report. This report provides the first official survey based estimates of U.S. farmers' 2013 planting intentions. Several highlights from the report include: * Michigan corn growers expect to plant 2.6 million acres of corn, down 50,000 acres from last year. * Soybean acres in Michigan are estimated at 2.1 million acres, up 100,000 acres from 2012. * Michigan farmers planted 590,000 acres of wheat, up 20,000 acres from wheat planted in the fall of 2011. * Michigan dry edible bean planting intentions are 190,000 acres, down 10,000 acres from last year. March Hogs and Pigs Michigan's total hog and pig inventory on March 1 was estimated at 1.08 million head, up 70,000 head from a year ago. Breeding hog inventory, at 110,000 head, was unchanged from last March. Market hog inventory, at 970,000 head, was up 70,000 head from last year. Michigan's litter rate, at 10.25 pigs saved per litter for the December 2012-February 2013 period, set an all time record high for Michigan. United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on March 1, 2013 was 65.9 million head. This was up 1 percent from March 1, 2012, but down 1 percent from December 1, 2012. Breeding inventory, at 5.83 million head, was up slightly from last year, and up slightly from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 60.1 million head, was up 2 percent from last year, but down 1 percent from last quarter. Michigan Honey Production Down 8.5 Percent Michigan honey production for 2012 totaled 4.33 million pounds, down 8.5 percent from 2011. This estimate included honey from producers with 5 or more colonies. Nationally, Michigan ranked ninth in honey production in 2012. Michigan was ranked seventh in 2011. Yields from Michigan's 76,000 colonies producing honey averaged 57 pounds in 2012, compared with 64 pounds the previous year. The Michigan honey price averaged $2.03 per pound, up 22 cents per pound from last year. Value of production totaled $8.79 million, up 2.6 percent from 2011. Honey stocks were 1.39 million pounds, down 33 percent from 2011. Nationally, Honey production in 2012 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 147 million pounds, down 1 percent from 2011. There were 2.62 million colonies producing honey in 2012, up 5 percent from 2011. Yield per colony averaged 56.1 pounds, down 6 percent from the 59.6 pounds in 2011. Colonies which produced honey in more than one State were counted in each State where the honey was produced. Therefore, at the United States level yield per colony may be understated, but total production would not be impacted. Colonies were not included if honey was not harvested. Producer honey stocks were 32.9 million pounds on December 15, 2012, down 10 percent from a year earlier. Stocks held by producers exclude those held under the commodity loan program. Honey prices increased to a record high during 2012 to 195.1 cents per pound, up 11 percent from 176.5 cents per pound in 2011. United States and State level prices reflect the portions of honey sold through cooperatives, private, and retail channels. Prices for each color class are derived by weighting the quantities sold for each marketing channel. Prices for the 2011 crop reflect honey sold in 2011 and 2012. Some 2011 crop honey was sold in 2012, which caused some revisions to the 2011 crop prices. March Agricultural Prices Prices received by Michigan farmers for the full month of February 2013 and mid-month prices as of March 15, 2013 are listed in the table below. Some Michigan highlights were: corn at $7.00 per bushel, is up $0.08 from February and up $0.56 from last year; soybeans at $14.10 per bushel, is up $0.50 from last month and up $1.20 from last year; milk at $19.70 per cwt, is down $0.20 from last month, but up $1.80 from last year. Prices received by farmers, March 2013 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Michigan : United States :----------------------------------------------- Commodity : Mar : Feb : Mar : Mar : Feb : Mar :2012 1/:2013 1/:2013 2/:2012 1/:2013 1/:2013 2/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Dollars : Beans, dry edible....Cwt: 50.10 (D) 36.20 47.10 38.50 32.00 Corn..................Bu: 6.44 6.92 7.00 6.35 7.04 7.18 Hay, all.............Ton:114.00 227.00 241.00 183.00 194.00 196.00 Oats..................Bu: 3.77 (D) (D) 3.77 4.05 4.09 Potatoes.............Cwt: 13.30 12.30 12.70 9.98 8.12 8.14 Soybeans..............Bu: 12.90 13.60 14.10 13.00 14.60 14.50 Wheat, winter.........Bu: 6.62 7.51 7.00 6.70 7.87 7.47 ........................: Milk, all............Cwt: 17.90 19.90 19.70 17.20 19.50 19.10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Entire month weighted average price. 2/ Mid-month price. D/ Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. February Milk Production Dairy herds in Michigan produced 705 million pounds of milk during February, up 1 percent from a year ago. The daily rate per cow was 66.8 pounds, up 2.1 pounds from February 2012. The dairy herd was estimated at 377,000 head for February, up 3,000 from a year earlier. The average price of milk sold in February by Michigan dairy producers was $19.90 per cwt., $1.40 above the price in February 2012. Michigan dairy summary, February 2013 --------------------------------------------------------- Item : Unit : 2011 : 2012 : 2013 --------------------------------------------------------- Cows : 1,000 Hd: 364 374 377 Milk per cow : Lb/day : 63.9 64.7 66.8 Production : Mil lbs : 652 701 705 Milk price, all : Dol/cwt : 19.20 18.50 19.90 Fat test : Pct : 3.74 3.71 3.76 Protein 1/ : Pct : 3.12 3.12 3.16 --------------------------------------------------------- 1/ FMO 33 Chickens and Eggs All layers in Michigan totaled 12.4 million during February, up 9 percent from a year ago. Egg production totaled 279 million eggs, up 5 percent from last year. The rate of lay during February was 2,257 eggs per 100 layers. On March 1 in the East North Central Region, which includes Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, there were 7.2 million egg-type eggs in incubators, down 9 percent from a year earlier. In the same region, there were 13 million broiler-type eggs in incubators, unchanged from the previous year. There were 22.6 million turkey poults hatched in the U.S. in February. Egg and hatchery production, February 2013 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Percent Item : Unit : 2012 : 2013 : Change ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan : : All layers : Thou : 11,377 12,362 9 Eggs per hundred layers : Num : 2,338 2,257 -3 Eggs produced : Mil : 266 279 5 East North Central Region : : Eggs in incubators, Mar 1 : : Egg-type : Thou : 7,976 7,228 -9 Broiler type : Thou : 12,951 13,004 0 U.S. : : All Layers : Thou : 338,936 344,482 2 Eggs per hundred layers : Num : 2,139 2,088 -2 Eggs produced : Mil : 7,249 7,194 -1 Turkey Eggs in incubators, Mar 1 : Thou : 29,039 27,068 -7 Turkey Poults hatched, Feb : Thou : 23,191 22,646 -2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 1 Grain Stocks On March 1, 2013, Michigan corn stocks totaled 141.1 million bushels, 7 percent lower than a year earlier. About 55 percent of the corn was stored on farms. The second quarter disappearance was 95.6 million bushels, compared with 118.2 million bushels a year earlier. Soybean stocks on March 1, 2013, were 24.5 million bushels. That was 41 percent lower than stocks a year earlier. The second quarter indicated disappearance was a record high 29.1 million bushels, it compared with 23.8 million bushels during the same period in 2012. Farm stocks of soybeans were 11.0 million bushels. Wheat stocks on March 1, 2013, were 33.8 million bushels, 8 percent below a year ago. Approximately 97 percent of wheat stocks were in commercial storage. Third quarter indicated disappearance was 9.1 million bushels, compared with 8.0 million bushels during the same period last year. Crop summary, March 2013 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Michigan : United States : :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Unit : : : : Record : Year : : : : : 2011 : 2012 :2013 1/ : high : set : 2011 : 2012 : 2013 1/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barley : : Planted :1,000 acres: 10 11 10 316 1932 2,559 3,637 3,634 Harvested :1,000 acres: 8 9 303 1932 2,239 3,244 Yield :Bushels : 48 48 68 1985 69.6 67.9 Production :1,000 bu : 384 432 8,400 1918 155,780 220,284 Beans, dry : : Planted :1,000 acres: 170 200 190 838 1926 1,217.9 1,742.5 1,500.0 Harvested :1,000 acres: 168 197 690 1930 1,167.9 1,690.4 Yield :Pounds : 2,000 1,790 2,100 1999 1,703 1,889 Production :1,000 cwt : 3,360 3,526 8,585 1963 19,890 31,925 Corn, all : : Planted :1,000 acres: 2,500 2,650 2,600 3,200 1981 91,936 97,155 97,282 Corn, grain : : Harvested :1,000 acres: 2,190 2,390 2,800 1981 83,989 87,375 Yield :Bushels : 153 133 153 2011 147.2 123.4 Production :1,000 bu :335,070 317,870 335,070 2011 12,359,612 10,780,296 Hay, all : : Harvested :1,000 acres: 1,000 970 960 2,947 1924 55,653 56,260 56,419 Yield :Tons : 2.75 1.91 3.84 1993 2.36 2.13 Production :1,000 tons : 2,750 1,851 5,743 1986 131,216 119,878 Oats : : Planted :1,000 acres: 40 50 60 NA NA 2,496 2,760 2,901 Harvested :1,000 acres: 30 35 1,658 1918 939 1,045 Yield :Bushels : 64 60 70 2003 57.1 61.3 Production :1,000 bu : 1,920 2,100 69,388 1946 53,649 64,024 Soybeans : : Planted :1,000 acres: 1,950 2,000 2,100 2,150 2001 75,046 77,198 77,126 Harvested :1,000 acres: 1,940 1,990 2,130 2001 73,776 76,104 Yield :Bushels : 44.0 43.0 46.0 2006 41.9 39.6 Production :1,000 bu : 85,360 85,570 91,540 2006 3,093,524 3,014,998 Sugarbeets : : Planted :1,000 acres: 153 154 154.0 195 1994 1,232.8 1,230.1 1,211.1 Harvested :1,000 acres: 153 153 190 1999 1,213.2 1,204.2 Yield :Tons : 24.0 29.0 29.0 2012 23.8 29.3 Production :1,000 tons : 3,672 4,437 4,437 2012 28,896 35,236 Wheat, winter : : Planted :1,000 acres: 700 570 590 1,524 1953 40,646 41,324 41,988 Harvested :1,000 acres: 680 540 1,515 1953 32,314 34,834 Yield :Bushels : 75 76 76 2012 46.2 47.2 Production :1,000 bu : 51,000 41,040 51,000 2011 1,493,677 1,645,202 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Intentions.