Cr Pr 2-3 (1-06) Winter Wheat Seedings National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 12, 2006, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Winter Wheat Seedings" call Scott Cox at (202) 720-8068, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Planted Acres Up 2 Percent Winter wheat seeded area for 2006 is expected to total 41.4 million acres, up 2 percent from 2005. Approximate class acreage breakdowns are: Hard Red Winter, 29.9 million; Soft Red Winter, 7.3 million; and White Winter, 4.2 million. Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2004-2006 (Domestic Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Crop Year : 2006 Item :--------------------------------------------------: as Pct. of : 2004 : 2005 1/ : 2006 : 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- 1,000 Acres ------------- Percent : Winter : Wheat : 43,350 40,433 41,367 102 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Updated from "Small Grains 2005 Summary" released September 30, 2005. Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2004-2006 (Metric Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Crop Year : 2006 Item :--------------------------------------------------: as Pct. of : 2004 : 2005 1/ : 2006 : 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------------- Hectares ----------------- Percent : Winter : Wheat : 17,543,310 16,362,830 16,740,810 102 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Updated from "Small Grains 2005 Summary" released September 30, 2005. Winter Wheat: Planted area for harvest in 2006 is estimated at 41.4 million acres, up 2 percent from 2005. Seeding began last August and was behind the 5-year average pace because of a lack of moisture in the southern Great Plains during September and much of October. Precipitation during mid-October relieved moisture concerns somewhat in major producing areas and allowed seeding to advance ahead of the 5-year average during the latter part of the month as mild and dry weather conditions prevailed. Nearly all of the U.S. acreage was seeded by December 1 with the exception of some intended acres in the Southeast and California. Seeding should finish this month in California. The winter wheat crop condition at the end of November was rated at 52 percent good to excellent compared with 76 percent last year. Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat seeded area is about 29.9 million acres, down 1 percent from 2005. Acreage was below last year's level in all HRW growing States except for Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. In Kansas, acreage increased due to supportive moisture supplies during September and October along with concerns about high fuel and fertilizer prices for spring planted crops. Growers in Texas and Oklahoma planted more acres this year despite concerns about the dry fall weather. In Texas, growers were able to increase seedings in the Blacklands from last year when excessive rain prevented many acres from being seeded. In contrast, acreage decreases occurred in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Montana despite excellent seeding and germination conditions in most areas. Soft Red Winter (SRW) area, at about 7.3 million acres, is up 19 percent from last year. Large acreage increases occurred in most SRW growing States due largely to ideal planting and germination conditions. This was in contrast to last year when wet fall weather conditions prevented operators from planting all of the acreage that they would normally plant. Acreage was above last year's level in all States in the northern portion of the SRW growing area except for North Carolina and New Jersey due to supportive seeding conditions and moisture supplies. The acreage increase was most notable in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. In Wisconsin, planting area is at a record high level. Conversely, due largely to dry fall weather in the Delta and Southeast growing areas, acreage was at or below last year's level in all States except Georgia, Arkansas, and Tennessee. White Winter wheat seeded area totals nearly 4.2 million acres, down 1 percent from 2005. Crop conditions varied across the three Pacific Northwest States (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) throughout the fall. Washington's planted acreage is unchanged from 2005 despite seeding beginning late and some early concerns about moisture supplies. In Idaho, frequent rains resulted in good emergence and stand development for the crop. Durum Wheat: Seedings in Arizona and California for 2006 harvest are estimated at 145,000 acres. This total is down 6 percent from their 2005 level. Planting is ongoing in California's San Jaoquin and Imperial Valleys. The crop's emergence has been slow due to dry weather. In Arizona, acreage is down due to the cost of fertilizer and concerns about low prices. No major problems with the crop have been reported. This report was approved on January 12, 2006. Acting Secretary of Agriculture Charles F. Conner Agricultural Statistics Board Chairperson Carol C. House Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2004-2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Crop Year : 2006 State :--------------------------------------------------: as Pct. of : 2004 : 2005 1/ : 2006 : 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- 1,000 Acres ------------- Percent : AL : 120 100 100 100 AZ : 5 5 4 80 AR : 670 220 370 168 CA : 560 495 430 87 CO : 2,300 2,550 2,400 94 DE : 50 52 48 92 FL : 18 18 18 100 GA : 330 280 300 107 ID : 750 770 750 97 IL : 920 630 860 137 IN : 450 360 460 128 IA : 28 20 25 125 KS : 10,000 10,000 10,200 102 KY : 530 390 390 100 LA : 180 110 110 100 MD : 160 155 180 116 MI : 660 600 610 102 MN : 27 20 30 150 MS : 160 70 60 86 MO : 1,050 590 1,000 169 MT : 1,900 2,150 2,000 93 NE : 1,850 1,850 1,750 95 NV : 6 8 16 200 NJ : 28 28 23 82 NM : 490 450 440 98 NY : 105 100 130 130 NC : 600 560 550 98 ND : 245 310 180 58 OH : 920 860 990 115 OK : 6,200 5,700 5,800 102 OR : 820 830 800 96 PA : 140 150 160 107 SC : 190 170 140 82 SD : 1,650 1,550 1,350 87 TN : 400 240 300 125 TX : 6,300 5,500 5,800 105 UT : 130 145 135 93 VA : 210 180 200 111 WA : 1,800 1,850 1,850 100 WV : 8 7 8 114 WI : 240 200 250 125 WY : 150 160 150 94 : US : 43,350 40,433 41,367 102 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Updated from "Small Grains 2005 Summary" released September 30, 2005. Durum Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2004-2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Crop Year : 2006 State :--------------------------------------------------: as Pct. of : 2004 : 2005 1/ : 2006 2/ : 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------- 1,000 Acres ------------ Percent : AZ : 100 80 70 88 CA : 120 75 75 100 ID 3/ : 20 MN 4/ : 1 MT : 570 590 ND : 1,750 1,980 SD : 20 15 : US : 2,561 2,760 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Updated from "Small Grains 2005 Summary" released September 30, 2005. 2/ Indicated 2006 area seeded for all six states will be published in "Prospective Plantings" released March 31, 2006. 3/ Estimates began in 2005. 4/ Estimates discontinued in 2005. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! 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Prospering in Rural America February 16-17, 2006 Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel Arlington, Virginia The theme is "Prospering in Rural America," and the program will highlight the economic development of rural America. In addition, there will be a broad range of sessions, including Shifting Trade Patterns, Chinese Agriculture, Homeland Security, the African Growth & Opportunity Act, Bio-fuel Production and New Energy Forms in Rural Areas, Community Supported Agriculture, and Feedback from the 2007 Farm Bill Listening Sessions. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and other top experts in agriculture will be among the more than 130 speakers. Find full program and registration details at www.usda.gov/oce/forum or call toll free, 1-877-572-6043. Forum speeches can be downloaded after February 17, 2006. www.usda.gov/oce/forum (877) 572-6043 toll free