Released January 12, 2012, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Planted Acres Up 3 Percent
Winter wheat seeded area for 2012 is expected to total 41.9 million acres, up 3 percent from 2011. Approximate class acreage breakdowns are: Hard Red Winter, 30.1 million; Soft Red Winter, 8.37 million; and White Winter, 3.49 million.
Winter wheat: Planted area for harvest in 2012 is estimated at 41.9 million acres, up 3 percent from 2011 and 12 percent above 2010. Seeding began last September and ended the month behind the 5-year average as late row crop harvest delayed planting in many northern States. However, by the end of October, seeding had progressed slightly ahead of the 5-year average. More acres were seeded this year due to higher prices and an acreage rebound in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas where dry conditions had limited 2011 planted acres. The winter wheat crop condition at the end of November was rated 52 percent good to excellent compared with 47 percent the previous year.
Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat seeded area is about 30.1 million acres, up 6 percent from 2011. Acreage is above last year's level in all States in the HRW growing area except California, Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The dry fall limited planting in South Dakota, while winter wheat seeded area in Nebraska is a record low.
Soft Red Winter (SRW) wheat seeded area is about 8.37 million acres, down 2 percent from last year. While large acreage increases from last year are estimated in the Southeast, large acreage decreases occurred in most States in the Corn Belt and Northeast, primarily due to a late row crop harvest. In Ohio, a record low area was planted due to wet soil conditions during the fall of 2011.
White Winter wheat seeded area totals nearly 3.49 million acres, down 3 percent from 2011. Planted acreage in the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) is down from last year. Seeding started off slow but by the end of October was at or ahead of the 5-year average in all three States. By November 6, seeding was virtually complete in the region with 83 percent of the acreage emerged in Washington, 90 percent emerged in Idaho, and 48 percent emerged in Oregon.
Durum wheat: Seedings in Arizona and California for 2012 harvest are estimated at 230,000 acres, up 15 percent from the 2011 and 24 percent above 2010. Planting is ongoing in California's San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys. Weather conditions have been good for planting.
This report was approved on January 12, 2012.
Acting Secretary of Agriculture Karis T. Gutter
Agricultural Statistics Board Chairperson Hubert Hamer