United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Great Lakes Region Vol. 34 No. 5 Agriculture Across Michigan May 2013 April Agricultural Prices Prices received by Michigan farmers for the full month of March 2013 and mid-month prices as of April 15, 2013 are listed in the table below. Some Michigan highlights were: April corn at $6.40 per bushel, is down $0.58 from March but up $0.16 from last year; April soybeans at $13.90 per bushel, is down $0.30 from last month but up $0.20 from last year; April milk at $19.40 per cwt, is down $0.30 from last month, but up $2.10 from last year. The U.S. preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in April, at 189 percent, based on 1990-1992=100, decreased 12 points (6.0 percent) from March. The Crop Index is down 21 points (8.8 percent) and the Livestock Index decreased 1 point (0.6 percent). Producers received higher prices for hogs, milk, potatoes, and oranges and lower prices for corn, lettuce, eggs, and strawberries. In addition to prices, the overall index is also affected by the seasonal change based on a 3-year average mix of commodities producers sell. Increased monthly movement of cattle, strawberries, milk, and broilers offset the decreased marketing of corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay. The April Index of Prices Paid for Commodities and Services, Interest, Taxes, and Farm Wage Rates (PPITW) is 220 percent of the 1990-1992 average. The index is unchanged from March but 5 points (2.3 percent) above April 2012. Higher prices in April for mixed fertilizer, concentrates, LP gas, and feeder cattle offset lower prices for feed grains, diesel, nitrogen, and gasoline. Michigan Farm Operators Count A sample of Michigan farm operators will have an opportunity to provide farm information during the upcoming June Agricultural Survey period. These surveys are among the largest and most important conducted by the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office and serves as a primary source of agricultural information. This survey will provide accurate and reliable data about 2013 planted acreages of major crops, grain stocks, and livestock in Michigan and the U.S. Producers rely on the survey results to make valid production, marketing, and investment decisions. Congress utilizes the information to design better regulations and farm programs. Industry analysts, extension agents, farm organizations, and agricultural lenders use the data in a variety of ways to directly benefit the grower. Growers across Michigan will be contacted during the coming weeks to obtain data regarding their operations. This data will be collected by mail, phone, and personal interviews. Growers will also be given the opportunity to report on the Internet. All survey responses are protected by law and remain strictly confidential. Information from individual operations will not be disclosed but will be combined with others to make reliable state, regional, and national estimates. Results will be released soon after the survey is complete. The Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report will be released on Friday, June 28, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. and the Acreage and Grain Stocks Reports will be released on Friday, June 28, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. A copy of survey results can be obtained at www.nass.usda.gov or by calling the Michigan Field Office at 1-800-453-7501. Prices received by farmers, April 2013 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Michigan : United States :----------------------------------------------- Commodity : Apr : Mar : Apr : Apr : Mar : Apr :2012 1/:2013 1/:2013 2/:2012 1/:2013 1/:2013 2/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Dollars : Beans, dry edible....Cwt: 43.00 41.40 41.30 46.90 37.60 34.60 Corn..................Bu: 6.24 6.98 6.40 6.34 7.13 6.67 Hay, all.............Ton:116.00 241.00 245.00 192.00 196.00 200.00 Oats..................Bu: 4.52 (D) (D) 3.84 4.19 4.20 Potatoes.............Cwt: 13.80 13.00 13.70 10.75 8.72 9.26 Soybeans..............Bu: 13.70 14.20 13.90 13.80 14.60 14.20 Wheat, winter.........Bu: 6.31 7.18 6.80 6.47 7.62 7.31 : Milk, all............Cwt: 17.30 19.70 19.40 16.80 19.10 19.30 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Entire month weighted average price. 2/ Mid-month price. Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. Meat Animal Cash Receipts Michigan cattle and calves cash receipts totaled $480 million, up 11 percent from last year's $433.7 million. Cattle and calf marketings totaled 439.9 million pounds, up 1 percent from 2011. Michigan hog cash receipts totaled $356.6 million, down 15 percent from last year's $419.1 million. All hog and pig marketings totaled 547.3 million pounds, down 12 percent from 2011. United States cattle and calves cash receipts totaled $68 billion during 2012, up 8 percent from 2011. All cattle and calf marketings totaled 55.4 billion pounds in 2012, down 1 percent from 2011. United States hogs and pigs cash receipts totaled $22.2 billion during 2012, up 2 percent from 2011. Marketings totaled 33.3 billion pounds, up 4 percent from 2011. Michigan livestock marketing and receipts, 2011-2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Item : 2011 : 2012 : Change ------------------------------------------------------------------ : ---- 1,000 pounds --- Percent : Marketings : Cattle and calves : 437,325 439,875 1 Hogs and pigs : 624,110 547,316 -12 : : --- 1,000 dollars --- : Cash receipts : Cattle and calves : 433,661 479,987 11 Hogs and pigs : 419,148 356,555 -15 ------------------------------------------------------------------ March Milk Production Dairy herds in Michigan produced 790 million pounds of milk during March, up 3 percent from a year ago. The average price of milk sold in March by Michigan dairy producers was $19.70 per cwt., $1.80 above the price in March 2012. Michigan dairy summary, March 2013 --------------------------------------------------------- Item : 2011 : 2012 : 2013 --------------------------------------------------------- Cows...............1,000 Hd: 364 375 2/ Milk per cow.........Lb/day: 64.0 66.0 2/ Production..........Mil lbs: 723 767 790 Milk price, all.....Dol/cwt: 21.10 17.90 19.70 Fat test................Pct: 3.70 3.67 3.78 Protein 1/..............Pct: 3.09 3.08 3.15 --------------------------------------------------------- 1/ FMO 33 2/ Due to sequestration, no information on the number of cows or milk per cow will be released. Chickens and Eggs All layers in Michigan totaled 12.5 million during March, up 6 percent from a year ago. Egg production totaled 317 million eggs, up 10 percent from last year. The rate of lay during March was 2,538 eggs per 100 layers. On April 1 in the East North Central Region, which includes Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, there were 8 million egg-type eggs in incubators, down 7 percent from a year earlier. In the same region, there were 13.2 million broiler-type eggs in incubators, up 6 percent from the previous year. There were 21.7 million turkey poults hatched in the U.S. in March. Egg and hatchery production, March 2013 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Percent Item : Unit : 2012 : 2013 : Change -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan : All layers : Thou 11,758 12,489 6 Eggs per hundred layers : Num 2,449 2,538 4 Eggs produced : Mil 288 317 10 East North Central Region : Eggs in incubators, Apr 1 : Egg-type : Thou 8,620 8,017 -7 Broiler type : Thou 12,463 13,216 6 U.S. : All Layers : Thou 340,538 347,054 2 Eggs per hundred layers : Num 2,314 2,325 Eggs produced : Mil 7,880 8,070 2 Turkey Eggs in incubators, Apr 1 : Thou 28,231 27,421 -3 Turkey Poults hatched, Mar : Thou 25,234 21,698 -14 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan Wheat Forecast and May 1 Hay Stocks Michigan's first wheat production forecast of 2013 indicates a slightly smaller yield than last year. Wheat appears to have over wintered well in most areas. Excessive rains in April has caused spotty drown out in some fields. Michigan wheat growers expect to harvest 550,000 acres, up 10,000 acres from last year. Wheat production in the State is expected to top 40 million bushels. U.S. winter wheat production is forecast at 1.49 billion bushels, down 10 percent from 2012. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 32.7 million acres, down 6 percent from last year. As of May 1, the United States yield is forecast at 45.4 bushels per acre, down 1.8 bushels from the previous year. Hay stocks on Michigan farms on May 1, 2013 were 140,000 tons, down 61% from this time last year. May 1, 2013 stocks were the lowest winter carry over on record. Hay production was adversely affected by dry weather last year. U.S. hay stocks on May 1, 2013 totaled 14.2 million tons, down 34 percent from a year ago. This is the lowest May 1 stocks on record. Disappearance from December 1, 2012-May 1, 2013 totaled 62.4 million tons, compared with 69.3 million tons for the same period a year earlier. Crop summary, May 2013 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Michigan : United States : :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Unit : : : : Record : Year : : : : : 2011 : 2012 : 2013 : high : set : 2011 : 2012 : 2013 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wheat, winter : : Planted : 1,000 acres : 700 570 590 1,524 1953 40,646 41,324 41,988 Harvested : 1,000 acres : 680 540 550 1,515 1953 32,314 34,834 32,709 Yield : Bushels : 75.0 76.0 74.0 76.0 2012 46.2 47.2 45.4 Production : 1,000 bu : 51,000 41,040 40,700 51,000 2011 1,493,677 1,645,202 1,485,757 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan Floriculture Sales Ranked Third Nationally Michigan maintained its third place national ranking in value of wholesale sales of floriculture products in 2012, behind California and Florida. Reports from Michigan's 539 commercial growers ($10K or more in gross sales) showed an estimated wholesale value of $375.7 million for all surveyed floriculture crops, nearly unchanged from last year's figure. This estimate includes summarized sales data as reported by growers with $100K or more in sales plus a calculated wholesale value of sales for operations with sales from $10K to $99,999. The leading crop category breakdowns for Michigan operations with more than $100K in sales were: * First, annual bedding/garden plants with $201.7 million in sales. * Second, propagative materials with $78.4 million in sales. * Third, herbaceous perennial plants with $52.3 million in sales. * Fourth, potted flowering plants with $25.5 million in sales. Michigan leads the nation in value of sales for 9 floriculture crops: * Impatiens (flats) with 1.6 million flats sold, valued at $12.6 million. * Begonias (flats) with 762,000 flats sold, valued at $6.3 million. * Begonias Hanging Baskets with 527,000 baskets sold, valued at $3.2 million. * Geranium Hanging Baskets (cuttings) with 656,000 baskets sold, valued at $4.9 million. * Impatiens Other Hanging Baskets with 620,000 sold, valued at $3.1 million. * Petunias Hanging Baskets with 1.2 million baskets sold, valued at $6.5 million. * Potted Easter Lillies with 1.2 million pots sold, valued at $5.0 million. * Potted Geraniums (seed) with 9.0 million pots sold, valued at $7.1 million. * Potted Petunias with 4.5 million pots sold, valued at $8.0 million. Total covered area for all operations in the state was 47.6 million square feet. This includes both rigid and film plastic greenhouses, glass greenhouses, shade, and temporary cover. Only California and Florida had more total cover. Alert! The window to respond to the Census of Agriculture is almost closed! There are only a few weeks left to complete and return the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Because time is running out, NASS may contact you or farmers in your area by phone or in person to collect information for the Census. Help ensure you and your industry have the most complete set of agricultural statistics available for your country and county. For more information or for help filling out your Census form, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov or call (888) 424-7828.