 |
| Growers
are expected to plant corn on 81.4 million acres in 2005, a
1 percent increase form last year, according to USDA. |
USDA
Projects 2005 Corn Acreage to be Highest in 20 Years, NCGA Notes
(4-01-05)
Corn producers intend
to plant 81.4 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2005, up
1 percent from 2004 and 4 percent above 2003, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s March 31 Prospective Plantings
report.
If realized, this would
mark the most corn acreage since 1985 when 83.4 million acres were
planted for all purposes.
Last year, producers
harvested nearly 91 percent of planted corn acreage. If corn yields
return to the long-term trend-line and producers harvest a comparable
amount of planted acreage, the resulting crop could be about 10.9
billion bushels, according to Max Starbuck, National Corn Growers
Association director of economic analysis.
“However, if producers
experience growing conditions similar to last season’s mild
weather, the 2005 crop could be the largest on record for the third
straight year,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine
a crop larger than last year’s 11.8 billion bushels, but another
near-perfect summer and fall could make it possible.”
Expected acreage is up
from last year throughout much of the Corn Belt and southern Great
Plains. Growers in most southeastern states and northern Great Plains
intend to decrease corn acreage due to low corn prices and high
fuel and fertilizer costs.
Corn farmers in the ten
major corn producing States (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin) intend to
plant 64.5 million acres, an increase of 1 percent from the 63.6
million acres last year.
Kansas is showing the
largest increase as 3.4 million acres are intended to be planted,
300,000 acres above last year. Illinois farmers expect to plant
a record high 12.0 million acres, an increase of 250,000 acres from
last year. South Dakota is the only major corn state showing a decrease
from last year as producers there expect to plant 250,000 fewer
acres.
Total acreage for both
soybeans and wheat is expected to decline 2 percent, while cotton
acreage is projected to increase 1 percent.