United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Michigan Field Office Cooperating with Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 33 No. 4 Agriculture Across Michigan April 2012 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' 2012 planting intentions. According to Jay Johnson, director of the USDA, NASS - Michigan Field Office, "Michigan farmers intend to plant the second highest acres of corn since 1997. This is largely due to the favorable prices for corn resulting from tight supplies in both the U.S. and abroad." Several highlights from the report include: • Michigan corn growers expect to plant 2.6 million acres, up 100,000 acres or 4 percent from 2011. • Soybean acres in Michigan are estimated at 1.9 million, down 50,000 acres or 3 percent from 2011. • Michigan farmers indicated planting 570,000 acres of wheat, down 130,000 or 19 percent from 2011. • Michigan dry edible bean planting intentions are 220,000 acres, up 50,000 acres or 29 percent from 2011. • Michigan all hay harvested acres are expected to total 980,000 acres, down 2 percent from last year. • U.S. corn growers intend to plant 95.9 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2012, up 4 percent from last year. • U.S. soybean producers intend to plant 73.9 million acres in 2012, down 1 percent from last year. March Hogs and Pigs Michigan's total hog and pig inventory on March 1 was estimated at 1.0 million head, down 30,000 head from a year ago. Breeding hog inventory, at 110,000 head, was unchanged from last March. Market hog inventory, at 890,000 head, was down 30,000 head from last year. Michigan's litter rate, at 9.90 pigs saved per litter for the December 2011-February 2012 period, set an all time record high for Michigan during the December 2011-February 2012 quarter. United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on March 1, 2012 was 64.9 million head. This was up 2 percent from March 1, 2011, but down 2 percent from December 1, 2011. Breeding inventory, at 5.82 million head, was up 1 percent from last year, and up slightly from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 59.1 million head, was up 2 percent from last year, but down 2 percent from last quarter. March 1 Grain Stocks On March 1, 2012, Michigan corn stocks totaled 152.1 million bushels, 8 percent higher than a year earlier. About 63 percent of the corn was stored on farms. The second quarter disappearance was 118.4 million bushels, compared with 108.0 million bushels a year earlier. Soybean stocks on March 1, 2012, were 41.2 million bushels. That was 22 percent higher than stocks a year earlier. The second quarter indicated disappearance was 24.1 million bushels, compared with 20.4 million bushels during the same period in 2011. Farm stocks of soybeans were 16.5 million bushels. Wheat stocks on March 1, 2012, were 36.6 million bushels, 19 percent above year ago. Approximately 92 percent of wheat stocks were in commercial storage. Third quarter indicated disappearance was 7.8 million bushels, compared with 6.4 million bushels during the same period last year. March Agricultural Prices Prices received by Michigan farmers for the full month of February 2012 and mid-month prices as of March 15, 2012, are listed in the table below. Some Michigan highlights were: corn $6.35 per bushel, up $0.21 from February and up $0.51 from last year; soybeans $13.10 per bushel, up $1.00 from last month; milk $17.90 per cwt, down $0.60 from last month, and down $3.20 from last year. Prices received by farmers, February 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : Michigan : United States : :-----------------------:----------------------- Commodity :Unit : Feb : Jan : Feb : Feb : Jan : Feb : :2011 1/:2012 1/:2012 2/:2011 1/:2012 1/:2012 2/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : Dollars : : Beans, dry edible : Cwt : 36.70 53.40 (D) 29.90 46.70 49.00 Corn : Bu : 5.84 6.14 6.35 5.53 6.28 6.48 Hay, all : Ton : 97.00 106.00 100.00 126.00 176.00 181.00 Oats : Bu : 3.34 (D) (D) 3.28 3.46 3.58 Potatoes : Cwt : 12.40 12.70 13.20 10.74 9.31 9.74 Soybeans : Bu : 12.20 12.10 13.10 12.70 12.20 13.10 Wheat, winter : Bu : 6.81 6.78 6.70 7.02 6.67 6.65 : : Milk, all : Cwt : 21.10 18.50 17.90 20.40 17.70 17.40 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual firms 1/ Entire month weighted average price. 2/ Mid-month price. February Milk Production Dairy herds in Michigan produced 714 million pounds of milk during February, up 9.5 percent from a year ago. February 2012 had one more day than February 2011. The daily rate per cow was 65.9 pounds, up 2 pounds from February 2011. The dairy herd was estimated at 374,000 head for February, up 10,000 from a year earlier. Michigan dairy summary, February 2012 --------------------------------------------------------- Item : Unit : 2010 : 2011 : 2012 --------------------------------------------------------- Cows : 1,000 Hd: 355 364 374 Milk per cow : Lb/day : 63.0 63.9 65.9 Production : Mil lbs : 627 652 714 Milk price, all : Dol/cwt : 16.70 19.20 18.50 Fat test : Pct : 3.66 3.74 3.71 Protein 1/ : Pct : 3.10 3.12 3.12 --------------------------------------------------------- 1/ FMO 33 Chickens and Eggs All layers in Michigan totaled 11.3 million during February, up 10 percent from a year ago. Egg production totaled 266 million eggs, up 16 percent from last year. The rate of lay during February was 2,349 eggs per 100 layers. On March 1 in the East North Central Region, which includes Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, there were 8.0 million egg-type eggs in incubators, down 4 percent from a year earlier. In the same region, there were 13.0 million broiler-type eggs in incubators, up 7 percent from the previous year. There were 22.9 million turkey poults hatched in the U.S. in February, down 1 percent from 2011. Egg and hatchery production, February 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Percent Item : Unit : 2011 : 2012 : Change ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan : : All layers : Thou : 10,298 11,323 10 Eggs per hundred layers : Num : 2,224 2,349 6 Eggs produced : Mil : 229 266 16 East North Central Region : : Eggs in incubators, Mar 1 : : Egg-type : Thou : 8,346 7,976 -4 Broiler type : Thou : 12,097 12,951 7 U.S. : : All Layers : Thou : 339,787 338,219 0 Eggs per hundred layers : Num : 2,064 2,140 4 Eggs produced : Mil : 7,013 7,237 3 Turkey Eggs in incubators, Mar 1 : Thou : 28,359 28,314 0 Turkey Poults hatched, Feb : Thou : 23,079 22,892 -1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- April Potato Stocks Potato Stocks in Michigan on April 1, 2012, were estimated at 1.6 million hundredweight (cwt), down 30 percent from last year's 2.3 million cwt. April's stocks represent 11 percent of the total production. Stocks include potatoes stored by both processors and growers. The 13 major potato States held 116 million cwt of potatoes in storage April 1, 2012, up 4 percent from a year ago. Potatoes in storage accounted for 30 percent of the 2011 fall storage States' production, one percentage point below April 1, 2011. Potato disappearance, at 264 million cwt, was 7 percent above April 1, 2011. Season-to-date shrink and loss, at 22.8 million cwt, was up 12 percent from the same date in 2011. Processors in the 9 major States have used 142 million cwt of potatoes this season, up 11 percent from the same period last year. Dehydrating usage accounted for 28.1 million cwt of the total processing, up 45 percent from last year. Crop summary, March 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Michigan : United States : :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Unit : : : : Record : Year : : : : : 2010 : 2011 :2012 1/ : high : set : 2010 : 2011 : 2012 1/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barley : : Planted :1,000 acres: 11 10 11 316 1932 2,872 2,559 3,333 Harvested :1,000 acres: 10 8 303 1932 2,465 2,239 Yield :Bushels : 54 48 68 1985 73.1 69.2 Production :1,000 bu : 540 384 8,400 1918 180,268 155,050 Beans, dry : : Planted :1,000 acres: 236 170 220 838 1926 1,911.4 1,205.9 1,669.9 Harvested :1,000 acres: 235 168 690 1930 1,842.7 1,155.9 Yield :Pounds : 1,800 2,000 2,100 1999 1,726 1,716 Production :1,000 cwt : 4,230 3,360 8,585 1963 31,801 19,833 Corn, all : : Planted :1,000 acres: 2,400 2,500 2,600 3,200 1981 88,192 91,921 95,864 Corn, grain : : Harvested :1,000 acres: 2,100 2,190 2,800 1981 81,446 83,981 Yield :Bushels : 150 153 153 2011 152.8 147.2 Production :1,000 bu :315,000 335,070 335,070 2011 12,446,865 12,358,412 Hay, all : : Harvested :1,000 acres: 1,000 1,000 980 2,947 1924 59,872 55,633 57,348 Yield :Tons : 2.73 2.75 3.84 1993 2.43 2.36 Production :1,000 tons : 2,730 2,750 5,743 1986 145,624 131,144 Oats : : Planted :1,000 acres: 75 40 55 NA NA 3,138 2,496 2,863 Harvested :1,000 acres: 60 30 1,658 1918 1,263 940 Yield :Bushels : 68 64 70 2003 64.3 57.5 Production :1,000 bu : 4,080 1,920 69,388 1946 81,190 54,005 Soybeans : : Planted :1,000 acres: 2,050 1,950 1,900 2,150 2001 77,404 74,976 73,902 Harvested :1,000 acres: 2,040 1,940 2,130 2001 76,610 73,636 Yield :Bushels : 43.5 44.0 46.0 2006 43.5 41.5 Production :1,000 bu : 88,740 85,360 91,540 2006 3,329,181 3,056,032 Sugarbeets : : Planted :1,000 acres: 147 153 154 195 1994 1,171.9 1,232.8 1,241.3 Harvested :1,000 acres: 147 153 190 1999 1,156.1 1,213.1 Yield :Tons : 26.0 24.0 28.7 2008 27.7 23.7 Production :1,000 tons : 3,822 3,672 3,903 2008 32,034 28,789 Wheat, winter : : Planted :1,000 acres: 530 700 570 1,524 1953 37,335 40,646 41,709 Harvested :1,000 acres: 510 680 1,515 1953 31,741 32,314 Yield :Bushels : 70 75 75 2011 46.8 46.2 Production :1,000 bu : 35,700 51,000 51,000 2011 1,484,861 1,493,677 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Intentions. Michigan Honey Production Up 15 Percent Michigan honey production for 2011 totaled 4.74 million pounds, up 15 percent from 2010. This estimate included honey from producers with 5 or more colonies. Nationally, Michigan ranked seventh in honey production in 2011. Michigan was ranked ninth in 2010. Yields from Michigan's 74,000 colonies producing honey averaged 64 pounds in 2011, compared with 58 pounds the previous year. Michigan honey price averaged $1.76 per pound, up 9 cents per pound from last year. Value of production totaled $8.34 million, up 21 percent from 2010. Honey stocks were 2.08 million pounds, up 37 percent from 2010. Nationally, Honey production in 2011 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 148 million pounds, down 16 percent from 2010. There were 2.49 million colonies producing honey in 2011, down 7 percent from 2010. Yield per colony averaged 59.6 pounds, down 9 percent from the 65.6 pounds in 2010. 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 36.8 million pounds on December 15, 2011, down 18 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 2011 to 172.9 cents per pound, up 7 percent from 161.9 cents per pound in 2010. 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 2010 crop reflect honey sold in 2010 and 2011. Some 2010 crop honey was sold in 2011, which caused some revisions to the 2010 crop prices. 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!