According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Virginia’s winter wheat crop is expected to total 15.9 million bushels this year, down seven percent from last year’s crop. The report comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and is based on conditions May 1, 2014.
Average yield for winter wheat is forecast at 60 bushels per acre, down two bushels from last year. Producers in the Commonwealth are expected to harvest 265,000 acres of wheat for grain, 10,000 acres less than last year’s crop. As of early May, the majority of the wheat crop is in fair to good condition.
Nationwide, winter wheat production is forecast at 1.40 billion bushels, down nine percent from 2013. As of May 1, the United States yield is forecast at 43.1 bushels per acre, down 4.3 bushels from last year.
May 1 hay stocks of 470,000 tons are up 15 percent from last year.
Source: Virginia Department of Agriculture