Cr Pr 2-3 (1-03) Winter Wheat Seedings National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 10, 2003, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Winter Wheat Seedings" call Lance Honig at (202) 720-8068, office hours 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. Planted Acres Largest Since 1998 Winter wheat seeded area for 2003 is expected to total 44.2 million acres, up 6 percent from 2002. This is the largest area since 1998. Approximate class acreage breakdowns are: Hard Red Winter, 32.1 million; Soft Red Winter, 8.2 million; and White Winter, 3.9 million. Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2001-2003 (Domestic Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Crop Year : 2003 Item :--------------------------------------------------: as Pct. of : 2001 : 2002 : 2003 : 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- 1,000 Acres ------------- Percent : Winter : Wheat : 41,078 41,735 44,246 106 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2001-2003 (Metric Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Crop Year : 2003 Item :--------------------------------------------------: as Pct. of : 2001 : 2002 : 2003 : 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------------- Hectares ----------------- Percent : Winter : Wheat : 16,623,860 16,889,740 17,905,910 106 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winter Wheat: Planted area for harvest in 2003 is estimated at 44.2 million acres. This is up 6 percent from 2002 and is the largest acreage since 1998. Seeding began last August and advanced ahead of the 5-year average pace throughout the fall. Nearly all of the U.S. acreage was seeded by December 1. Most remaining intended area is in the Southeast and California. Seeding should finish sometime next month in California. Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat seeded area is about 32.1 million acres, up 8 percent from 2002. Significant acreage increases are reported in all major HRW States. Two major factors, high prices at the time of seeding and last year's drought, contributed to the larger acreage. Prices were very strong this fall, especially during September and October when most of the winter wheat was planted. Last year's drought left soil moisture supplies low. Wheat requires less moisture than many alternate crops in the major HRW States, making it a more appealing option. Additionally, the drought left forage supplies limited, therefore many growers in the southern Great Plains planted wheat in hopes that enough moisture would be received to provide grazing. Soft Red Winter area, at about 8.2 million acres, is down 1 percent from last year. Large acreage declines are noted in the Delta States, most Southeast States, and along the northern Atlantic Coast, due primarily to excessively wet conditions during the fall. Planted acreage increased significantly in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, where seeding conditions were good. Seeded acres also increased sharply in Georgia where growers continue to plant additional wheat in place of rye as a cover crop. Wisconsin growers planted a record high acreage. White Winter wheat seeded area totals about 3.9 million acres, up 9 percent from 2002. Dry conditions prevailed across the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) during planting. Seeding progress was generally faster than average, however the dry soil conditions delayed emergence. Rising prices during planting contributed to the larger acreage. Durum Wheat: Seedings in Arizona and California for 2003 harvest are estimated at 178,000 acres. This total is down 3 percent from their final 2002 acreage. Seedings in California's San Joaquin Valley progressed rapidly during October and November. Planting began in the Imperial Valley in late November and will continue into March as the winter vegetable harvest is completed. This report was approved on January 10, 2003. Acting Secretary of Agriculture James R. Moseley Agricultural Statistics Board Chairperson Rich Allen Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2001-2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Crop Year : 2003 State :--------------------------------------------------: as Pct. of : 2001 : 2002 : 2003 : 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- 1,000 Acres ------------- Percent : AL : 170 150 150 100 AZ : 6 10 7 70 AR : 1,100 960 760 79 CA : 530 530 580 109 CO : 2,350 2,350 2,600 111 DE : 60 60 55 92 FL : 10 9 20 222 GA : 300 350 380 109 ID : 760 730 760 104 IL : 750 680 800 118 IN : 400 350 450 129 IA : 25 20 20 100 KS : 9,800 9,600 10,300 107 KY : 550 550 500 91 LA : 175 230 200 87 MD : 190 195 150 77 MI : 570 500 680 136 MN : 15 35 25 71 MS : 250 250 150 60 MO : 900 900 880 98 MT : 1,300 1,450 1,750 121 NE : 1,750 1,650 1,700 103 NV : 9 6 6 100 NJ : 31 38 31 82 NM : 500 520 480 92 NY : 125 130 125 96 NC : 680 650 550 85 ND : 150 80 130 163 OH : 950 860 1,000 116 OK : 5,600 6,000 6,500 108 OR : 750 800 950 119 PA : 170 190 175 92 SC : 220 210 210 100 SD : 1,300 1,300 1,500 115 TN : 500 470 460 98 TX : 5,600 6,400 6,600 103 UT : 140 140 155 111 VA : 200 230 210 91 WA : 1,850 1,800 1,850 103 WV : 12 12 12 100 WI : 170 190 205 108 WY : 160 150 180 120 : US : 41,078 41,735 44,246 106 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Durum Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2001-2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Crop Year : 2003 State :--------------------------------------------------: as Pct. of : 2001 : 2002 : 2003 1/ : 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------- 1,000 Acres ------------ Percent : AZ : 88 89 83 93 CA : 85 95 95 100 MN : 2 5 MT : 510 590 ND : 2,200 2,100 SD : 25 30 : US : 2,910 2,909 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Indicated 2003 area seeded for all six states will be published in "Prospective Plantings" released March 31, 2003. 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