USDA Prospective Plantings and Grain Stocks Reports March 30

NEBRASKA’S MARCH 1, 2012 PROSPECTIVE PLANTINGS

Nebraska producers expect to increase acreage planted to corn, sorghum, dry edible beans, and oats, while decreasing acreage devoted to soybeans, hay, wheat (sown last fall), sunflowers, and sugarbeets, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office.  

Nebraska  corn  growers  expect  to  plant  10.3  million  acres  for  all  purposes  in  2012,  up  5 percent from 2011 and the largest acreage since 1933.  

Soybean producers intend to plant 4.7 million acres, down 4 percent from a year earlier.

Hay acreage for harvest, at 2.4 million, is expected to be down 3 percent from last year.  

Last fall, winter wheat was sown on 1.35 million acres, down 11 percent from 2011. This is the smallest winter wheat acreage planted in Nebraska since records began in 1909.

Sorghum growers expect to plant 165,000 acres, up 10 percent from last year.
 
Dry edible bean producers intend to plant 155,000 acres, up 41 percent from 2011. 

Oat planting intentions, at 75,000 acres, are up 15,000 acres from 2011.  

Sunflower planting intentions, at 50,000 acres, are down 9,000 acres from last year.

Sugarbeet plantings, at 50,000 acres, are down 4 percent from a year ago.

These  acreage  estimates  are  based  on  surveys  conducted  the  first  two weeks  of March.     This report  is  intended  to assist growers  in  finalizing  their acreage plans  for 2012.   Actual area planted may vary  from  that  indicated  due  to  farmer’s  final  assessment  of  planting  options,  effects  of  weather, availability of production inputs, and changes in price expectations for the coming crop year.

Iowa:
The annual Prospective Plantings report published by USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service  is based on the voluntary responses from nearly two thousand Iowa producers.  Data collection began February 28, with final interviews completed on March 19.  This report provides an indication of the acres farmers intend to plant.  Actual  plantings  will  depend  greatly  upon  weather,  economic  conditions  and  the  availability  of  production inputs at the time producers must make their final planting decisions.

Corn: As of March 1, Iowa farmers intend to plant 14.6 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2012.  This is up  500,000  acres  from  2011  and,  if  realized, would  be  the  largest  planted  acreage  on  record.   The  previous record, 14.4 million acres, was set in 1981.

Soybeans: Producers  intend  to  plant  8.80 million  acres  of  soybeans  in  Iowa  this  year,  down  6  percent  from 2011. If realized this would be only the second time in 18 years Iowa farmers will plant less than 9.00 million acres of soybeans.

Oats: Farmers  intend  to plant 130,000 acres of oats  for all purposes, up 10,000 acres  from  last year’s  record low.  If realized, this would be the second smallest acreage on record.

All Hay: Farmers in Iowa expect  to harvest 1.15 million acres of hay for the 2012 crop year, up 10,000 acres from  last year.  If  realized,  this will be  the  second  lowest  in  state history,  trailing only 1.14 million acres  last year.  



USDA Prospective Plantings

Corn Planted Acreage Up 4 Percent from 2011
Soybean Acreage Down 1 Percent
All Wheat Acreage Up 3 Percent
All Cotton Acreage Down 11 Percent

Corn growers intend to plant 95.9 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2012, up 4 percent from last year and 9 percent higher than in 2010. If realized, this will represent the highest planted acreage in the United States since 1937 when an estimated 97.2 million acres were planted.

Soybean planted area for 2012 is estimated at 73.9 million acres, down 1 percent from last year and down 5 percent from 2010. Compared with 2011, planted area is down or unchanged across the Corn Belt and Great Plains with the exceptions of Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

All wheat planted area is estimated at 55.9 million acres, up 3 percent from 2011. The 2012 winter wheat planted area, at 41.7 million acres, is up 3 percent from last year but down 1 percent from the previous estimate. Of this total, about 29.9 million acres are Hard Red Winter, 8.4 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and 3.5 million acres are White Winter. Area planted to other spring wheat for 2012 is estimated at 12.0 million acres, down 3 percent from 2011. Of this total, about 11.3 million acres are Hard Red Spring wheat. Durum planted area for 2012 is estimated at 2.22 million acres, up 62 percent from the previous year.

All cotton planted area for 2012 is expected to total 13.2 million acres, 11 percent below last year. Upland acreage is expected to total 12.9 million acres, down 11 percent from 2011. American Pima acreage is expected to total 270,000 acres, down 12 percent from 2011.



 
NEBRASKA MARCH 1, 2012 GRAIN STOCKS

Corn stocks in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 687 million bushels, down 10 percent from March 1, 2011, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office.  Of the total, 350 million bushels are stored on farms, down 8 percent from a year ago.  Off-farm stocks, at 337 million bushels, are down 13 percent from last year.

Soybeans stored in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 122 million bushels, up  37 percent from last year.  On-farm stocks are 32 million bushels, up 28 percent from a year ago.  Off-farm stocks, at 90 million bushels, are up 41 percent from 2011.

Wheat stored in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 38.8 million bushels, down  31 percent from a year ago.  On-farm stocks of 2.4 million are down 17 percent from 2011.    Off-farm stocks of 36.4 million bushels are down 31 percent from last year.

Sorghum stored in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 6.5 million bushels, down  4 percent from 2011 and the lowest level since 1957.  On-farm stocks are 1.3 million bushels, unchanged from last year.   Off-farm stocks, at 5.2 million bushels, are 6 percent below last year. 

Iowa:
Iowa  corn  stocks  in  all  positions  on  March  1,  2012  totaled 1.29 billion bushels, up 1 percent from last year according to  the USDA  National  Agricultural  Statistics  Service  –  Grain  Stocks report.  Of the total stocks, 57 percent were stored on-farm.  The December 2011  - February 2012  indicated disappearance  totaled 666 million bushels, 5 percent more than the 636 million bushels used during the same period last year.

Iowa  soybeans  stored  in all positions  on March 1, 2012  totaled 295 million bushels, up 20 percent from  the 246 million bushels on  hand March  1,  2011.    Of  the  total  stocks,  41 percent  were stored on-farm.  Indicated disappearance for the December 2011 - February 2012 period was 128 million bushels, 9 percent less than the 141 million bushels used during the same quarter last year.

Iowa oat  stocks  stored  in all positions on March 1, 2012  totaled 7.82 million bushels, up 15 percent from  the 6.78 million bushels on  hand  March  1,  2011.    Of  the  total  stocks,  14 percent  were stored on-farm.



USDA Grain Stocks

Corn Stocks Down 8 Percent from March 2011
Soybean Stocks Up 10 Percent
All Wheat Stocks Down 16 Percent

Corn stocks in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 6.01 billion bushels, down 8 percent from March 1, 2011. Of the total stocks, 3.19 billion bushels are stored on farms, down 6 percent from a year earlier. Off-farm stocks, at 2.82 billion bushels, are down 10 percent from a year ago. The December 2011 - February 2012 indicated disappearance is 3.64 billion bushels, compared with 3.53 billion bushels during the same period last year.

Soybeans stored in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 1.37 billion bushels, up 10 percent from March 1, 2011. Soybean stocks stored on farms are estimated at 555 million bushels, up 10 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 817 million bushels, are up 10 percent from last March. Indicated disappearance for the December 2011 - February 2012 quarter totaled 998 million bushels, down 3 percent from the same period a year earlier.

All wheat stored in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 1.20 billion bushels, down 16 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks are estimated at 217 million bushels, down 25 percent from last March. Off-farm stocks, at 983 million bushels, are down 14 percent from a year ago. The December 2011 - February 2012 indicated disappearance is 462 million bushels, down 9 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Durum wheat stocks in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 35.3 million bushels, down 37 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks, at 17.4 million bushels, are down 51 percent from March 1, 2011. Off-farm stocks totaled 17.9 million bushels, down 13 percent from a year ago. The December 2011 - February 2012 indicated disappearance of 13.2 million bushels is up 10 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Barley stocks in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 93.7 million bushels, down 32 percent from March 1, 2011. On-farm stocks are estimated at 26.5 million bushels, 54 percent below a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 67.2 million bushels, are 16 percent below March 2011. The December 2011 - February 2012 indicated disappearance totaled 45.3 million bushels, 7 percent above the same period a year earlier.

Oats stored in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 72.5 million bushels, 16 percent below the stocks on March 1, 2011. Of the total stocks on hand, 19.8 million bushels are stored on farms, down 27 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks totaled 52.8 million bushels, down 11 percent from the previous year. Indicated disappearance during December 2011 - February 2012 totaled 6.60 million bushels, down 55 percent from the same period a year ago.

Grain sorghum stored in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 108 million bushels, down 37 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks, at 12.8 million bushels, are down 2 percent from last March. Off-farm stocks, at 95.1 million bushels, are down 40 percent from a year earlier. The December 2011 - February 2012 indicated disappearance from all positions is 43.0 million bushels, down 35 percent from the same period last year.

Sunflower stocks in all positions on March 1, 2012 totaled 910 million pounds, up 4 percent from March 1, 2011. All stocks stored on farms totaled 377 million pounds and off-farm stocks totaled 533 million pounds. Stocks of oil type sunflower seed are 732 million pounds; of this total, 298 million pounds are on-farm stocks and 434 million pounds are off-farm stocks. Non-oil sunflower stocks totaled 178 million pounds, with 78.7 million pounds stored on the farm and 99.5 million pounds stored off the farm.