January 12, 2006

The Crop Production Index for Wyoming field crops in 2005 was 124 percent of the 1957-59 base. This is an increase of 7 points from 2004 and near the 127 percent attained in 2003, according to Dick Coulter with the Wyoming Field Office of USDA NASS. Production of winter wheat, spring wheat, corn grain, dry beans, and alfalfa hay all increased from 2004. Barley, oats, corn silage, sugarbeets, and other hay decreased.

Small Grains: The 2005 Wyoming winter wheat production increased 24 percent from the previous year to 4.35 million bushels, the largest since 1999. Farmers harvested 145,000 acres, up 10,000 acres from 2004. Yields averaged 30 bushels per acre, up 4 bushels from 2004. Spring wheat production totaled 315,000 bushels, 31 percent more than in 2004 and the most since 1998. Harvested acres were up 1,000 acres to 7,000, and yield averaged 45 bushels per acre, up 5 bushels from 2004. Barley production, at 5.58 million bushels, was down 21 percent from 2004 and the smallest since 2002. Acreage planted was down 17 percent and acreage harvested was down 20 percent. Production of oats in the State in 2005 was down 25 percent from 2004 to 600,000 bushels. Production was the smallest since 1895. The average yield was down 3 bushels from 2004 to 50 bushels per acre with 12,000 acres harvested for grain, down 3,000 acres.

Row Crops: Corn for grain production in Wyoming during 2005 totaled 6.86 million bushels, up 5 percent from 2004 and the largest since 2000. Growers harvested 49,000 acres for grain, down from 50,000 acres in 2004. Yields averaged 140 bushels per acre, the highest average yield on record. Corn silage production, at 660,000 tons, was down 17 percent from the previous year as acreage harvested was off 17 percent. All dry bean production totaled 776,000 hundredweight, up 43 percent from 2004 and the largest since 1999. Harvested area, at 33,000 acres, was up 9,000 acres from 2004. Average yield was up 100 pounds to 2,350 pounds per acre and a new record high. Pinto bean production in Wyoming totaled 674,000 hundredweight, great northern bean production was 37,000 hundredweight, and navy bean production totaled 23,000 hundredweight. There was also 42,000 hundredweight of other dry bean types produced. Sugarbeet production totaled 801,000 tons, down 1 percent from 2004. Harvested acreage was up 1 percent from 2004, but average yield, at 22.3 tons per acre, was down 0.5 ton per acre.

Hay: All hay production in Wyoming totaled 2.20 million tons in 2005, up 7 percent from the previous year, but down 8 percent from 2003. Alfalfa hay production totaled 1.50 million tons, up 15 percent from 2004, but 8 percent below 2003. Alfalfa acreage harvested was up 33 percent, but the average yield was down 0.4 ton to 2.5 tons per acre. Other hay production totaled 702,000 tons, down 7 percent from 2004 and the smallest since 2002. Acreage cut for all other hay totaled 540,000 acres, unchanged from 2004. Average yield for other hay was 1.3 tons per acre, down 0.1 ton from 2004. A total of 55,000 acres were newly seeded to alfalfa, up from 28,000 in 2004 and 30,000 in 2003.