 Nevada Ag Stats NEWSLETTER |
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“ Fact Finders For Nevada Agriculture” |
April 2005 |
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2005 Prospective Plantings Nevada Farmers plan to plant 9,000 acres of spring wheat this year, up 1,000 acres from the 8,000 acres in 2004. Winter wheat acreage planted increased by 2,000 from the 6,000 acres planted last year. Barley plantings are unchanged from last year at 4,000 acres. Corn acreage planted for all purposes is projected at 3,000 acres, which is 1,000 acres less than the previous year. Estimates for all hay acres to be harvested this year are at 450,000 acres, up 30,000 acres from last year’s 420,000 acres. Another survey will be conducted on June 1 to measure the total acres of grain actually planted and the hay actually harvested in Nevada. National Report On the national level, hay producers expect to harvest 62.94 million acres of hay in 2005, up 1.2 million acres from the 61.92 million acres harvested the previous year. Hay producers in 22 States expect to harvest hay from more acres than last year. Acreage reductions are expected in 11 states, while growers in 15 states intend to harvest the same number of acres as 2004. Arizona at 102%, California at 103%, Nevada at 107%, and Utah at 101% are the Western states with increased expectations from the 2004 crop year. Western states expecting a decrease in acreage are: Idaho at 98% and Washington at 97%. Oregon is the only Western state remaining unchanged from last year. All wheat planted area is expected to total 58.6 million acres in 2005. This is down 2 percent from 2004. The 2005 other spring wheat planted acreage is estimated at 14.4 million acres, up 4% from last year. Planted corn acreage of 81.4 million acres was projected for 2005 which is up 1% from last year’s 80.9 million acres. 2005 planted barley acres are projected to be at 3.9 million acres which is down 12% from 2004 planted acreage of 4.5 million acres. |
March Weather Summary
Storms passed through the State early in the month and again toward the end of the month. Winnemucca recorded 1.545 inch of precipitation, Elko 1.37 inch, and Ely 1.29 inch. Snow accumulated in the Sierra and Reno received .42 inch of precipitation. Mountain snow pack remained well above normal in the west, but lagged below normal in the northeast. A warm spell at mid-month raised monthly average temperatures. Calving was common across the State and supplemental feeding of livestock continued. Early grasses and weeds were greening, having benefitted from the rains. Range and pasture conditions were very good. Haying got underway in the south. Wet field conditions were slowing onion seeding in Mason Valley. Fall seeded crops were beginning to break dormancy. Main farm and ranch activities: Calving, early haying, onion seeding, equipment maintenance.
Monthly Weather Summary for Selected Nevada Stations, March 2005
| Station | Average Temperature |
Departure from Normal-Temp |
Total Precipitation |
Departure from Normal-Precip |
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--------degrees-------- |
-------inches------ |
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Reno |
46.2 |
2.9 |
0.42 |
-.44 |
Winnemucca |
41.8 |
0.7 |
1.54 |
.68 |
Elko |
38.6 |
-1.3 |
1.37 |
.39 |
Ely |
35.5 |
-0.4 |
1.29 |
.24 |
Las Vegas |
59.6 |
1.3 |
0.47 |
-.12 |
Hay Prices
Nevada mid-month hay prices were up in March as were prices across the US. The All Hay price for Nevada came in at $114.00 per ton with Alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures at $112.00 per ton and All Other Hay at $127.00 per ton. All Other Hay is comprised of grain and grain mixtures, timothy, clover, wild, prairie, range, and other types. February hay prices were $107.00 per ton for All Hay, $106.00 per ton for Alfalfa and Alfalfa mixtures, and $118.00 per ton for All Other Hay.
On the national level, March prices have risen for All Hay (baled), Alfalfa and Alfalfa mixtures compared to this report last year. All Hay (baled) came in at $89.10 per ton, Alfalfa and Alfalfa mixtures at $96.40 per ton, and All Other Hay at $70.40 per ton. February hay prices for the U. S. were $84.70 for All Hay (baled), $91.90 for Alfalfa and $70.00 for All Other Hay.
Hay prices in Nevada for All Hay and Alfalfa, Alfalfa mixtures and All Other Hay are up from March 2004. Nevada hay prices at this time last year were recorded with an All Hay price at $90.00 per ton with Alfalfa and Alfalfa mixtures at $88.00 per ton and All Other Hay at $107.00 per ton.
These prices are the result of our monthly Hay Prices Received by Farmers survey. Reporters include both producers and dealers. These prices represent average price at point of first sale for all grades and qualities sold. The average price concept is that price which would result from dividing the total dollars received by all farmers, before any marketing charges are deducted, by total quantity sold.