Acreage survey finds Ohio farmers will plant fewer acres

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio – The March 1 acreage survey indicates Ohio farmers plan to plant less total acreage than in 2001. If forecasts hold true, farmers will plant approximately 140,000 fewer acres of major crops this year.

As planting nears, Ohio growers are planning on planting more corn acres than last year, 3.55 million acres, 4 percent above the 2001 crop. Soybean planting intentions at 4.45 million acres are down 3 percent, or 150,000 acres from the previous year.

Individual crops. Wheat seedings at 870,000 acres are unchanged from December’s forecast, but 80,000 acres below the 2001 crop year. Ohio farmers plan to plant 110,000 acres of oats, up 10,000 from last year.

All hay acreage to be harvested is expected to total 1.45 million acres, down 5 percent from 2002.

Tobacco intentions are at 6,100 acres are unchanged from last year’s acres. Barley acreage for the 2002 crop is estimated at 7,000 acres, up 17 percent from last year. Sugarbeet plantings are expected to be over twice the acres planted in 2001 for a total of 1,700 acres planted.

National figures. Nationwide, corn growers intend to plant 79 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2002, up 4 percent from last year but down 1 percent from 2000. Expected acreage is up in many areas of the United States and in virtually all areas of the Corn Belt.

Soybean producers intend to plant 73 million acres, down 2 percent from last year. Reduced soybean acreage was offset by an expected increase in corn plantings in most areas. Crop rotations, farm bill uncertainty, and price considerations were cited as primary reasons for the reduced soybean acreage.

All wheat planted area is expected to total 59 million acres. This is down 1 percent from 2001 and the lowest level since 1972. Winter wheat planted area for this year’s crop is 41.1 million acres, nearly identical to the previous year’s acreage. This is the lowest acres seeded to winter wheat since 1971.

Of the total, about 29.3 million acres are hard red winter, 8.4 million acres soft red winter, and 3.4 million acres white winter.

Hay producers expect to harvest 63.7 million acres of hay in 2002, up less than 1 percent from the year previous. Oats acres seeded and to be seeded for the upcoming crop year is expected to total 5.13 million acres, up 16 percent, or 726,000 acres, from last year’s final planted acres. Burley tobacco, at 158,600 acres, is down 4 percent from a year ago and 14 percent below two years ago.

Crop stocks. Corn stocks in all positions in Ohio on March 1, 2002 totaled 277.4 million bushels, three percent above the 268.2 million bushels stored as of March 1 a year previous. On-farm stocks, at 150 million bushels, accounted for 54 percent of the total stored. Off-farm stocks increased 14.2 million bushels from a year ago to 127.4 million bushels.

Soybean stocks in Ohio totaled 85.1 million bushels, up 18 percent from a year earlier. On-farm storage at 45 million bushels accounted for 53 percent of total storage, compared to 54 percent last year. Off-farm storage increased by 21 percent from last year to 40.1 million bushels.

All wheat stocks totaled 49 million bushels, down 21 percent from last year. Off-farm stocks, at 47.7 million bushels, account for 97 percent of total stocks. Off-farm stocks were down 21 percent and on-farm stocks were down 28 percent from a year ago.

U. S. corn stocks in all positions March 1 totaled 5.8 billion bushels, down 4 percent from one year earlier. Of the total stocks, 3.36 billion bushels are stored on farms, down 7 percent from a year earlier. Off-farm stocks, at 2.44 billion bushels, are down slightly from the previous year.

The December 2001-February 2002 indicated disappearance is 2.47 billion bushels, compared with 2.49 billion bushels during the same period last year.

All wheat stored in all positions totaled 1.21 billion bushels, down 10 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks are estimated at 339 million bushels, down 12 percent from last year. Off-farm stocks, at 872 million bushels, are down 9 percent from a year ago. The indicated December 2001-February 2002 disappearance is 413 million bushels, down 12 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Soybeans stored in all positions totaled 1.34 billion bushels, down 5 percent from the year previous. On-farm stocks totaled 687 million bushels, down 12 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 649 million bushels, are up 4 percent from a year ago. Indicated disappearance for the December 2001-February 2002 quarter totaled 940 million bushels, up 12 percent from the same quarter in 2001.