Ia-press-releases Released March 31, 2005 Prospective Plantings, March 1, 2005 Iowa: Corn: Iowa farmers intend to plant 12.8 million acres of corn for all purposes as of March 1, 2005. This is up 1 percent from the 12.7 million acres planted in 2004. Soybeans: Producers intend to plant 10.3 million acres of soybeans in Iowa this year. This is up 1 percent from the previous year's planted acres. Oats: Farmers intend to plant 240,000 acres of oats for all purposes. This is 9 percent above the 220,000 acres planted in 2004. All Hay: Iowa producers intend to harvest 1.50 million acres of hay, down 6 percent from last year's 1.60 million harvested acres. Final acreage harvested for hay is influenced by a number of factors that can result in sizeable changes in the acreage being harvested as the season progresses. United States: Corn planted area for all purposes is estimated at 81.4 million acres, up 1 percent from 2004 and 4 percent above 2003. If realized, this would be the largest corn acreage since 1985. Expected acreage is up from last year throughout much of the Corn Belt and southern Great Plains. However, growers in most States in the Delta, Southeast, and northern Great Plains intend to decrease their corn acreage as producers are switching to other more profitable crops due to low corn prices and high fuel and fertilizer costs. Soybean producers intend to plant 73.9 million acres in 2005, down 2 percent from last year's record high acreage. Of the 31 soybean producing States, growers in 16 States intend to plant fewer acres this year, while producers in 11 States intend to plant more acres than in 2004. The largest acreage declines are in the Dakotas, where low soybean prices have some farmers shifting to other crops. Large declines in soybean acreage are also expected in the Delta and Southeast States. Due to the discovery of Asian soybean rust in the U.S., questions were asked of farmers in soybean producing States about their awareness of the disease and how it has affected their planting decisions. All wheat planted area is expected to total 58.6 million acres in 2005, down 2 percent from 2004. If realized, this would be the lowest planted acreage since 1972. Winter wheat planted area for the 2005 crop is 41.6 million acres, down 4 percent from 2004. Of the total, about 30.5 million acres are Hard Red Winter, 6.6 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and 4.5 million acres are White Winter. The 2005 other spring wheat planted acreage is estimated at 14.4 million, up 4 percent from last year. Of the total, about 13.7 million acres are Hard Red Spring wheat. Area planted to Durum wheat is intended to total 2.61 million acres, up 2 percent from the previous year. Prospective Plantings, March 1, Iowa and United States ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Iowa : United States :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop : : : Indicated : '05 as % : : : Indicated : '05 as % : 2003 : 2004 : 2005 : of '04 : 2003 : 2004 : 2005 : of '04 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 Acres -------- Percent --------- 1,000 Acres -------- Percent : Corn, all : 12,300 12,700 12,800 101 78,603 80,930 81,413 101 Oats : 220 220 240 109 4,597 4,085 4,267 104 Soybeans : 10,600 10,200 10,300 101 73,404 75,208 73,910 98 Hay, all 1/: 1,600 1,600 1,500 94 63,383 61,916 62,940 102 Wheat, all : 25 28 25 89 62,141 59,674 58,592 98 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Acres for harvest. This report is based on the voluntary responses from nearly two thousand Iowa producers. Data collection began February 26, with final interviews completed on March 15. This report provides only a preliminary indication of the acres farmers intend to plant. Actual plantings will depend greatly upon weather, economic conditions and the availability of production inputs at the time producers must make their final planting decisions. Contact Information: Iowa Agricultural Statistics 210 Walnut St., Rm 833 Des Moines, IA 50309 1-800-772-0825 Fax 515-284-4342 nass-ia@nass.usda.gov