April 3, 2013
US feed grains to see increased plantings in 2013
All major feed grains in the US are expected to rise in acreage as local farmers may plant more feed grains for the 2013 seasons, according to the USDA''s Planting Intentions report.
Soy is the only exception which will see a decrease of less than 1%.
The projected 7.71 million acres of planted soy grainsis only 72,000 acres less than those planted in the US during 2012. If realized, it would still be the fourth-largest year for soy in US history.
Planting in the Great Plains is expected to decline, with the exception of Illinois and North Dakota, which are expecting large increases, according to the report. Illinois leads all other states in total anticipated acreage at 9.4 million acres.
While not a major soy-producing state, Georgia will have the largest increase, rising from 220,000 acres in 2012 to 280,000 in 2013.
Growers are expected to plant 97.3 million acres of corn, which is up slightly from 97.16 million acres in 2012. The 2013 estimate is a 6% increase from 2011. If the 2013 projection is realised, this will be largest acreage in the US since 1936, when an estimated 102 million acres were planted.
The state with the biggest percentage increase in corn production is Georgia, where acreage is expected to jump from 345,000 acres to 495,000 acres a€' a 43% leap. California sees the biggest drop. However, it is just an 8% decrease from 610,000 acres to 560,000 acres.
Iowa, the nation''s leading corn-producing state, will stay steady at 14.2 million.
Sorghum acreage will grow by a larger percentage in 2013 than any other feed grain. It will jump 22%, from 6.2 million acres in 2012 to 7.6 million acres.
Texas is expected to surpass Kansas as the nation''s leading sorghum producer, going from 2.3 million acres to three million acres. However, Kansas is also expected to increase its production, going from 2.5 million acres to 2.9 million acres.
An estimated 56.4 million acres of wheat will be planted in 2013, which would be a 1% climb from 2012.
Iowa is expected to have the biggest increase in acreage percent-wise, going from 18,000 acres to 40,000 acres. Kansas, the nation''s top wheat-producing state, will drop about 2%, going from 9.5 million acres to 9.3 million acres. North Dakota, which ranks second, will also see a 2% drop. Top producing states, Oklahoma and Texas, are expected to have near-equal acreage.