JUNE ACREAGE AND GRAIN STOCKS

KANSAS AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE
Kansas Department of Agriculture
PO Box 3534
Topeka, KS 66601-3534
Phone: 785-233-2230

PRESS RELEASE

Released: June 30, 2003

Kansas growers planted 19.6 million acres to the four major crops (wheat, sorghum, corn, and soybeans), up 1 percent from 2002. Wheat seeded last fall totaled 10.3 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast but up 7 percent (700,000 acres) from last year. Acreage for harvest is expected to be 9.7 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast but 20 percent (1.6 million acres) above a year ago.

Sorghum acreage planted and to be planted, at 3.7 million acres, is down 3 percent from last year. Kansas ranks first in the Nation in sorghum acreage. The acreage intended for harvest as grain, at 3.4 million acres, is up 13 percent from last year.

Corn planted acreage, at 2.9 million acres, is 11 percent below last year's planted acres. Farmers planted 47 percent of their corn acreage with varieties developed using biotechnology. Twenty-five percent of the acreage was planted with insect resistant only varieties containing bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and 17 percent of the acreage with herbicide resistant varieties developed using biotechnology. Stacked gene varieties, those containing both insect and herbicide resistance, were planted on 5 percent of the corn acreage. Acreage expected to be harvested for grain is 2.7 million acres, up 8 percent from last year.

Soybean plantings are expected to total 2.7 million acres, down 50,000 acres from a year ago. Producers planted 87 percent of the soybean acreage to herbicide resistant varieties in 2003. Expected acreage for harvest, at 2.6 million acres, is 2 percent above last year.

Oats planted in 2003, at 150,000 acres, is 7 percent above last year. Oats expected to be harvested for grain, at 90,000 acres, is up 30,000 acres from the previous year. Barley planted acreage, at 9,000 acres, increased 1,000 acres from last year. Expected acreage for harvest, at 8,000 acres, is up 1,000 acres from last year. All sunflowers planted, at 180,000 acres, are down 16 percent from last year. Oil type varieties planted are at 160,000 acres, while non-oil varieties are planted on 20,000 acres. All sunflowers harvested are expected to total 169,000 acres with oil type varieties projected at 150,000 harvested acres. Hay acreage to be harvested is expected to total 3.1 million acres, down 5 percent from last year. Of the total hay acreage, 950,000 acres are alfalfa hay, unchanged from last year. Acreage of dry beans planted, at 12,000 acres, is down 6,000 acres from last year. Harvested acreage is forecast at 11,000 acres. Cotton acreage is estimated at 125,000 acres in 2003, up 45,000 acres from last year.

Sorghum grain in all positions totals 40.1 million bushels, 20 percent below last year's level. Off-farm stocks accounted for 34.1 million bushels and on-farm stocks for 6.0 million bushels.

Kansas corn stocks in all locations, at 76.8 million bushels, are 27 percent lower than last June. Off-farm stocks are 50.8 million bushels, which account for 66 percent of the total corn stocks. On-farm stocks, at 26.0 million bushels, are down 1.0 million bushels from last June.

Kansas soybeans in all locations total 13.3 million bushels, a 35 percent decrease from June 2002. Off- farm stocks, at 9.75 million bushels, are also down 35 percent from last year and account for 74 percent of the total soybean stocks. On-farm stocks total 3.5 million bushels, down 2 million bushels from the previous year.

Off-farm oat stocks are 349,000 bushels, up 57 percent from last June.

Off-farm barley stocks, at 13,000 bushels, are down 58 percent or 18,000 bushels from a year ago.

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