October 12, 2007

Wyoming Hay Production Expected to be 12 Percent Above Last Year

Wyoming: The October 1 forecast for all hay production in 2007 is up 12 percent from last year and up 2 percent from 2005, according to Kim Faircloth with the Wyoming Field Office of USDA NASS.

Alfalfa hay production is forecast at 1.54 million tons, up 10 percent from 2006 but 1 percent below 2005. Harvested area is expected to total 550,000 acres with an average yield of 2.8 tons per acre. Acreage for harvest is up 50,000 acres from 2006, but the yield is unchanged. Other hay production is forecast at 825,000 tons, up 15 percent from 2006 and up 9 percent from 2005. If realized, this would be the largest production since 1999. Producers expect to harvest 550,000 acres of other hay with an average yield of 1.5 tons per acre. Last year, other hay averaged 1.3 tons per acre on 550,000 acres. All hay production is forecast at 2.37 million tons, up 12 percent from 2006 and up 2 percent from 2005.

Sugarbeet growers intend to harvest 30,500 acres in Wyoming this year with an expected average yield of 22.0 tons per acre. Total production would be 671,000 tons, down 16 percent from both last year and 2005. Acreage for harvest is down 9,600 acres from last year, but yield is expected to be up 2.1 tons per acre. Dry bean production is expected to total 552,000 hundredweight from 24,000 harvested acres, down from last year’s 590,000 hundredweight from 27,500 harvested acres. Average yield is higher at 2,300 pounds per acre, up 150 pounds per acre from 2006's yield of 2,150 pounds.

United States: Production of dry hay for alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures is forecast at 72.3 million tons, up 3 percent from the August forecast and up 1 percent from last year. Based on October 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 3.37 tons per acre, up 0.11 ton from August and up 0.02 ton from 2006. Harvested area is forecast at 21.5 million acres, unchanged from August but slightly above the previous year's acreage. Other hay production is forecast at 75.6 million tons, up slightly from the August forecast and up 8 percent from 2006. Based on October 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 1.87 tons, the same as the August forecast but up 0.09 ton from last year. Harvested area, at 40.3 million acres, is unchanged from August but up 2 percent from the previous year.

 
U.S. dry edible bean production is forecast at 25.3 million cwt for 2007, up 6 percent from the August forecast and 4 percent above last year. 
Harvested acreage is forecast at 1.46 million acres, 2 percent above the August forecast but 5 percent below last year. The average U.S. yield is 
forecast at 1,727 pounds per acre, an increase of 78 pounds from the August forecast and 150 pounds above last year. 
Planted area is estimated at 1.53 million acres, an increase of 1 percent from the August forecast but 6 percent below 2006.

Corn production is forecast at 13.3 billion bushels, up slightly from last month and 26 percent above 2006. Based on conditions as of October 1, yields are expected to average 154.7 bushels per acre, down 1.1 bushels from September but 5.6 bushels above last year. If realized, this would be the second highest yield on record, behind the 160.4 bushel yield in 2004.

Sugarbeet production is forecast at 30.4 million tons, 1 percent above the September forecast but 11 percent below last year's production of 34.1 million tons. Growers expect to harvest 1.24 million acres, unchanged from September but down 5 percent from last year. The yield is forecast at 24.5 tons per acre, up 0.3 ton from last month but down 1.6 tons from the 2006 record high yield.