United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Michigan Field Office Cooperating with Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 33 No. 5 Agriculture Across Michigan May 2012 April Agricultural Prices Prices received by Michigan farmers for the full month of March 2012 and mid-month prices as of April 15, 2012, are listed in the table below. According to Jay Johnson, Director, USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office, Michigan highlights were: corn $6.15 per bushel, down $0.28 from March and down $0.45 from last year; soybeans $13.80 per bushel, up $0.90 from last month; milk $17.50 per cwt, down $0.40 from last month, and down $3.10 from last year. U.S. preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in April, at 177 percent, based on 1990-1992=100, decreased 7 points (3.8 percent) from March. The Crop Index is down 5 points (2.4 percent) and the Livestock Index decreased 7 points (4.4 percent). Producers received lower prices for broilers, corn, cattle, and eggs and higher prices for soybeans, onions, hay, and oranges. 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 soybeans, corn, wheat, and cotton. The preliminary All Farm Products Index is up 1 point (0.6 percent) from April 2011. The Food Commodities Index, at 166, decreased 5 points (2.9 percent) from last month but is unchanged from April 2011. The April Index of Prices Paid for Commodities and Services, Interest, Taxes, and Farm Wage Rates (PPITW) is 21 percent of the 1990 1992 average. The index is unchanged from March but 10 points above (4.9 percent) April 2011. Higher prices in April for complete feeds, concentrates, hay & forages, and supplements offset lower prices for feeder cattle, feeder pigs, feed grains, and LP gas. Prices received by farmers, April 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : Michigan : United States : :-----------------------:----------------------- Commodity :Unit : Apr : Mar : Apr : Apr : Mar : Apr : :2011 1/:2012 1/:2012 2/:2011 1/:2012 1/:2012 2/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : Dollars : : Beans, dry edible : Cwt : 39.50 50.10 (D) 31.80 47.10 47.90 Corn : Bu : 6.60 6.43 6.15 6.36 6.35 6.14 Hay, all : Ton : 99.00 100.00 109.00 143.00 181.00 190.00 Oats : Bu : 3.80 3.79 3.80 3.54 3.79 3.60 Potatoes : Cwt : 13.10 13.30 13.80 11.17 9.98 10.57 Soybeans : Bu : 12.70 12.90 13.80 13.10 13.00 13.80 Wheat, winter : Bu : 7.04 6.58 6.50 7.37 6.68 6.31 : : Milk, all : Cwt : 20.60 17.90 17.50 19.60 17.20 16.90 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual firms 1/ Entire month weighted average price. 2/ Mid-month price. USDA Surveys to Provide Insight on 2012 Agriculture 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 2012 planted acreages of major crops, grain stocks, and livestock in Michigan and the United States. Producers rely on the survey results to make 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. These data will be collected by mail, phone, and personal interviews. Growers will also be given the opportunity to report on the Internet for selected surveys. 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 29, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. and the Acreage and Grain Stocks Reports will be released on Friday, June 29, 2012 at 8:30 a.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. Meat Animal Cash Receipts Michigan cattle and calves marketing cash receipts totaled $433.7 million, up 14 percent from last year's $380.8 million. Beginning in January 2011, State level cows, calves, steers and heifers, and beef cattle prices were discontinued. For the 2011 marketing year, these prices were calculated based on data provided by the United States Department of Agriculture's, Agricultural Marketing Service. Michigan hog marketing cash receipts totaled $419.1 million, up 31 percent from last year's $319.4 million. Beginning in January 2011, State level sow, barrow and gilt, and all hog prices were discontinued. For the 2011 marketing year these prices were calculated based on data provided by the United States Department of Agriculture's, Agricultural Marketing Service. Monthly sheep and lamb prices were discontinued after September 2011 prices were published. Production, Disposition, and Income estimates for sheep and lambs were discontinued after the 2011 publication. United States cattle and calves marketing cash receipts totaled $62.9 billion during 2011, up 22 percent from 2010. All cattle and calf marketings totaled 56.1 billion pounds in 2011, up 1 percent from 2010. United States hog marketing cash receipts totaled $21.7 billion during 2011, up 21 percent from 2010. Marketings totaled 31.8 billion pounds, up 1 percent from 2010. Michigan livestock marketing and receipts, 2010-2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Item : 2010 : 2011 : Change ------------------------------------------------------------------ : ---- 1,000 pounds --- Percent : Marketings : Cattle and calves : 482,890 437,325 -9 Hogs and pigs : 629,620 624,110 -1 : : --- 1,000 dollars --- : Cash receipts : Cattle and calves : 380,753 433,661 14 Hogs and pigs : 319,388 419,148 31 ------------------------------------------------------------------ March Milk Production Dairy herds in Michigan produced 776 million pounds of milk during March, up 7.3 percent from a year ago. The daily rate per cow was 66.8 pounds, up 2.8 pounds from March 2011. The dairy herd was estimated at 375,000 head for March, up 11,000 from a year earlier. Michigan dairy summary, March 2012 --------------------------------------------------------- Item : Unit : 2010 : 2011 : 2012 --------------------------------------------------------- Cows : 1,000 Hd: 357 364 375 Milk per cow : Lb/day : 64.2 64.0 66.8 Production : Mil lbs : 710 723 776 Milk price, all : Dol/cwt : 15.70 21.10 17.90 Fat test : Pct : 3.59 3.70 3.67 Protein 1/ : Pct : 3.06 3.09 3.08 --------------------------------------------------------- 1/ FMO 33 Chickens and Eggs All layers in Michigan totaled 11.6 million during March, up 12 percent from a year ago. Egg production totaled 287 million eggs, up 10 percent from last year. The rate of lay during March was 2,465 eggs per 100 layers. On April 1 in the East North Central Region, which includes Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, there were 8.6 million egg-type eggs in incubators, up 3 percent from a year earlier. In the same region, there were 12.5 million broiler-type eggs in incubators, down 3 percent from the previous year. There were 25.2 million turkey poults hatched in the U.S. in March, up 4 percent from 2011. Egg and hatchery production, March 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Percent Item : Unit : 2011 : 2012 : Change ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan : : All layers : Thou : 10,422 11,644 12 Eggs per hundred layers : Num : 2,504 2,465 -2 Eggs produced : Mil : 261 287 10 East North Central Region : : Eggs in incubators, Apr 1 : : Egg-type : Thou : 8,277 8,556 3 Broiler type : Thou : 12,801 12,463 -3 U.S. : : All Layers : Thou : 340,655 339,750 0 Eggs per hundred layers : Num : 2,301 2,313 1 Eggs produced : Mil : 7,840 7,858 0 Turkey Eggs in incubators, Apr 1 : Thou : 27,720 28,229 2 Turkey Poults hatched, Mar : Thou : 24,340 25,217 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wheat Production Michigan's first wheat production forecast of 2012 indicates a slightly smaller yield than last year. Michigan wheat growers expect to harvest 540,000 acres, down 140,000 acres from last year. Michigan winter wheat yield is forecast at 74 bushels per acre, down a bushel from last year. Wheat production in the State is expected to total nearly 40 million bushels. Wheat condition was rated 66 percent good to excellent on April 30. Most growers were able to take advantage of the early spring to apply herbicides and top dress nitrogen in a timely fashion. Growers reported little winter kill. U.S. winter wheat production is forecast at 1.69 billion bushels, up 13 percent from 2011. The area expected to be harvested for grain or seed totals 35.6 million acres, up 10 percent from last year. Based on May 1 conditions, the United States yield is forecast at 47.6 bushels per acre, up 1.4 bushels from last year. Hay stocks in Michigan on May 1, 2012 were 360,000 tons, down 14.3 percent from this time last year. U.S. hay stocks on May 1, 2012 totaled 21.4 million tons, down 4 percent from a year ago. Disappearance from December 1, 2011-May 1, 2012 totaled 69.3 million tons, compared with 79.9 million tons for the same period a year ago. This is the smallest disappearance since 1985. Compared with last year, hay stocks as a percent of production increased across much of the Northern Tier and in many Eastern States. On-farm hay stocks declined from last year in a number of Great Plain States, as prolonged drought conditions hampered pasture growth and forced many livestock producers to feed an increased amount of hay to their herds. Crop summary, May 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Michigan : United States : :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Unit : : : : Record : Year : : : : : 2010 : 2011 : 2012 : high : set : 2010 : 2011 : 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wheat, winter : : Planted : 1,000 acres : 530 700 570 1,524 1953 37,335 40,646 41,709 Harvested : 1,000 acres : 510 680 540 1,515 1953 31,741 32,314 35,580 Yield : Bushels : 70.0 75.0 74.0 75.0 2011 46.8 46.2 47.6 Production : 1,000 bu : 35,700 51,000 39,960 51,000 2011 1,484,861 1,493,677 1,693,710 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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!