CROP SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING AUGUST 14, 2005

NEW MEXICO: There were 5.7 days suitable for field work. Topsoil moisture was 20% very short, 33% short, 39% adequate and 8% surplus. Wind damage was 9% light, 17% moderate and 2% severe. Hail damage was 2% light. Farmers were busy harvesting and preparing to plant wheat in September. Alfalfa was in mostly fair to excellent condition with 98% of the third cutting complete, 79% of the fourth cutting complete and 30% of the fifth cutting complete. Cotton was in mostly fair to excellent condition with 82% setting bolls and 7% bolls opening. Corn was in mostly fair to excellent condition with 98% silked, 50% doughed and 8% dented. Sorghum was 59% headed and condition was 5% very poor, 25% poor, 44% fair, 25% good and 1% excellent . Peanuts were in fair to excellent condition. Lettuce was 55% planted. Chile was 24% harvested and was in mostly fair to excellent condition. Apples were in fair to good condition. Pecans were in fair to excellent condition. Ranchers were busy maintaining herds and water. Recent rains have improved rangeland. Cattle was reported as 4% poor, 25% fair, 64% good and 7% excellent. Sheep were 4% very poor, 11% poor, 17% fair, 39% good and 29% excellent. Range and pasture was reported as 6% very poor, 25% poor, 40% fair, 26% good and 3% excellent.

WEATHER SUMMARY

A surge of moisture northward from Mexico helped fuel numerous showers and thunderstorms during the week, with some hefty rainfall totals. Chama measured nearly 4 inches, while quite a few other locations collected between 1 and 3 inches. After a hot start to the week, the rainfall brought cooler air, which produced a weekly average temperature very close to normal. We have not received a precipitation report from Silver City since May. Consequently, we will no longer be entering data for that station. Please do not rely on monthly of 2005 totals from that location.                      

AGRICULTURAL LAND VALUES

The U. S. farm real estate values, a measurement of the value of all land and buildings on farms, averaged $1,510 per acre on January 1, 2005, up 11.0 percent from 2004. This is the largest percentage increase since 1981, when farm real estate values rose 11.1 percent from the previous year. The $150 per acre increase is the largest dollar increase on record. The previous record was 1980, when values climbed $109 per acre above the 1979 value.

Regional increases in the average value of farm real estate ranged from 8.2 percent in the Delta and Southern Plains regions to 13.2 percent in the Northeast and Southeast Regions. The highest farm real estate values were in the Northeast region, where urban influences have pushed the average value to $4,020 per acre. In the Corn Belt region farm real estate values rose 10.9 percent, to $2,550 per acre. The Mountain region, with its expanse of pasture and rangeland, had the lowest farm

real estate value, at $599 per acre.

New Mexico’s farm real estate value, for the five published years, has risen consistently each year. The average value per acre in 2005 jumped to $290 per acre, a 9.4% increase. This is the highest increase reported in the last five years. For the complete report please log on to www.usda.gov/nass and click on publications.

CROP PRODUCTION

NEW MEXICO: Corn for grain production is forecast at 8.1 million bushels, down 22.4 percent from a year ago. Harvested acreage is down to 45,000 acres, while yields are expected to average 180 bushels per acre, unchanged from last year. Upland cotton is expected to yield 829 pounds an acre, down 2.2 percent from 2004. Producers anticipate harvesting 55,000 acres for a production of 95,000 bales. America-Pima cotton yield is forecasted at 1,056 pounds an acre, up 21.5 percent. Harvested acreage is slightly less than last year at 10,000 acres with production totaling 22,000 bales. Sorghum for grain production is forecasted at 4.1 million bushels, with yields down 2.2 percent to 45 bushels an acre. Peanut production is expected to reach 64.8 million pounds, up 8.9 percent from 2004. Both Alfalfa acreage and yields are up in 2005, with 1.3 million tons forecasted to be harvested this year.

UNITED STATES: Corn production is forecast at 10.3 billion bushels, down 12 percent from last year but 3 percent above 2003. All cotton production is forecast at 21.3 million 480-pound bales, down 8 percent from last year's record high 23.3 million bales. Yield is expected to average 748 pounds per harvested acre, down 107 pounds from 2004. Upland Cotton production is forecast at 20.6 million 480-pound bales, 9 percent below 2004. American-Pima production is forecast at 725,000 bales, down 3 percent from last year. Sorghum production forecast for the 2005 crop year is 380 million bushels, down 16 percent from last year. Based on August 1 conditions, the sorghum yield forecast is 63.1 bushels per acre, down 6.7 bushels from last year. Peanut production is forecast at a record high 5.14 billion pounds, up 21 percent from last year's crop and up 24 percent from 2003. Area for harvest is expected to total 1.61 million acres, unchanged from June but up 16 percent from 2004. Yields are expected to average a record high 3,190 pounds per acre, 133 pounds per acre above last year. Planted acres, at 1.65 million, are unchanged from the June estimate but 15 percent above 2004. Alfalfa production is forecast at 73.8 million tons, down 2 percent from last year. Yields are expected to average 3.34 tons per acre, a decrease of 0.13 ton from last year. Harvested area is forecast at 22.1 million acres, unchanged from June but up 2 percent from 2004.

August 2005 Crop Summary: Area Harvested, Yield, and Production, 2004 and Forecasted August 1, 2005