By Mary Hightower
The August Crop Production report revealed sizeable and surprising acreage increases in soybeans, cotton and long-grain rice, as well as the potential for record-breaking soybean yields.
Wednesday’s report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service gave industry analysts its first boots-on-the-ground look at this year’s acres, based on late July grower surveys.
NASS reported 3.45 million acres of soybeans in Arkansas, up from the 3.2 million in the June Acreage report.
Arkansas cotton acres grew from June’s 470,000 to 560,000. Corn fell from 830,000 acres in the June report to 760,000 acres. Total rice acres rose from 851,000 to 901,000 thanks to a 50,000-acre increase in long-grain rice acres.
RICE
Extension Rice Agronomist Jarrod Hardke said there was a lot to unpack in this month’s report.
“I was expecting rice acres to land between 800,000 and the 850,000 estimated in the June Acreage report,” Hardke said. “I was low on that estimate given the jump to 900,000 acres.”
Scott Stiles, extension economics program associate for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said that “even with the increase in rice acres, they are still the lowest since 1977.”
However, “the 50,000-acre increase this month in long-grain rice is really a surprise. I didn’t see that one coming,” Stiles said.
“There were some in the industry who felt like there might be more acres found and clearly they were right, but I don't think anyone was prepared for a 50,000-acre increase in long-grain over the June report,” Hardke said.
Rice yield was projected to be 7,450 pounds per acre, down 30 pounds from last year.
Source : uada.edu