Winter Wheat Seedings ISSN: 1949-1980 Released January 12, 2015, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Planted Acres Down 5 Percent Winter wheat seeded area for 2015 is expected to total 40.5 million acres, down 5 percent from 2014. Approximate class acreage breakdowns are: Hard Red Winter, 29.5 million; Soft Red Winter, 7.50 million; and White Winter, 3.48 million. Winter Wheat Area Seeded - United States: 2013-2015 (Domestic Units) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Crop year : 2015 Crop :--------------------------------------------: as a percent : 2013 : 2014 : 2015 : of 2014 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 acres 1,000 acres 1,000 acres percent : Winter wheat ..: 43,230 42,399 40,452 95 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winter Wheat Area Seeded - United States: 2013-2015 (Metric Units) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Crop year : 2015 Crop :--------------------------------------------: as a percent : 2013 : 2014 : 2015 : of 2014 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- : hectares hectares hectares percent : Winter wheat ..: 17,494,750 17,158,450 16,370,520 95 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winter wheat: Planted area for harvest in 2015 is estimated at 40.5 million acres, down 5 percent from 2014 and 6 percent below 2013. Seeding began in August and by the end of September was well ahead the 5-year average pace. By the middle of November, seeding was mostly complete. Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat seeded area is expected to be 29.5 million acres, down 3 percent from 2014. Acreage changes from last year are mixed across the growing region. Growers in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas planted significantly less acreage this year while large acreage increases are estimated in Nebraska and South Dakota. Record low acreage was seeded in Utah. By November 23, Hard Red Winter wheat conditions were varied across States from last year with most acreage rated in fair to good condition. Soft Red Winter (SRW) wheat seeded area is about 7.50 million acres, down 12 percent from last year. Acreage decreases from last year are expected in most SRW growing States with significant acreage decreases estimated in Illinois and Missouri. White Winter wheat seeded area totals nearly 3.48 million acres, up 2 percent from 2014. Planted acreage in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, and Washington) are up from last year. Planting got off to a normal start but by the middle of October progress was behind the 5-year average pace in Idaho and Washington. By November 9, seeding was virtually complete in the region. Durum wheat: Seedings in Arizona and California for 2015 harvest are estimated at 155,000 acres, up 44 percent from 2014 and 7 percent above 2013. Water allocation for the crop in the Imperial Valley was greatly reduced over the past year. Nonetheless, no major problems in the development of the crop have been reported. Planting has progressed well for both the San Joaquin Valley and Imperial Valley. This report was approved on January 12, 2015. Secretary of Agriculture Designate Michael T. Scuse Agricultural Statistics Board Chairperson James M. Harris Winter Wheat Area Seeded - States and United States: 2013-2015 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Crop year : 2015 State :--------------------------------------------------: as a percent : 2013 : 2014 : 2015 : of 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 acres 1,000 acres 1,000 acres percent : Alabama ........: 310 255 195 76 Arizona ........: 12 8 9 113 Arkansas .......: 680 465 390 84 California .....: 620 460 450 98 Colorado .......: 2,300 2,750 2,500 91 Delaware .......: 85 80 75 94 Florida ........: 25 15 20 133 Georgia ........: 430 300 320 107 Idaho ..........: 780 780 750 96 Illinois .......: 880 740 550 74 : Indiana ........: 460 390 360 92 Iowa ...........: 30 26 24 92 Kansas .........: 9,500 9,600 9,400 98 Kentucky .......: 700 630 640 102 Louisiana ......: 265 160 130 81 Maryland .......: 345 340 335 99 Michigan .......: 620 570 500 88 Minnesota ......: 27 42 48 114 Mississippi ....: 400 230 150 65 Missouri .......: 1,080 880 650 74 : Montana ........: 2,000 2,500 2,300 92 Nebraska .......: 1,470 1,550 1,700 110 Nevada .........: 23 15 14 93 New Jersey .....: 34 33 30 91 New Mexico .....: 440 380 350 92 New York .......: 125 120 105 88 North Carolina .: 990 830 770 93 North Dakota ...: 215 870 400 46 Ohio ...........: 660 620 540 87 Oklahoma .......: 5,600 5,300 5,100 96 : Oregon .........: 790 750 780 104 Pennsylvania ...: 185 185 190 103 South Carolina .: 280 230 195 85 South Dakota ...: 1,300 1,210 1,480 122 Tennessee ......: 640 530 500 94 Texas ..........: 6,300 6,000 5,900 98 Utah ...........: 120 120 120 100 Virginia .......: 335 290 300 103 Washington .....: 1,700 1,700 1,800 106 West Virginia ..: 9 10 7 70 Wisconsin ......: 315 295 230 78 Wyoming ........: 150 140 145 104 : United States ..: 43,230 42,399 40,452 95 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Durum Wheat Area Seeded - States and United States: 2013-2015 [Blank cells indicate estimation period has not begun] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Crop year : 2015 State :--------------------------------------------------: as a percent : 2013 : 2014 : 2015 1/ : of 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 acres 1,000 acres 1,000 acres percent : Arizona ........: 75 73 115 158 California .....: 70 35 40 114 Idaho ..........: 11 11 Montana ........: 450 435 North Dakota ...: 790 840 South Dakota ...: 4 4 : United States ..: 1,400 1,398 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Indicated 2015 area seeded for all six States and the United States will be published in "Prospective Plantings" released March 2015. Statistical Methodology Survey procedures: The estimates in this report are based primarily on surveys conducted the first two weeks of December. The December Agricultural Survey is a probability survey that includes a sample of over 83,000 farm operators selected from a list of producers that ensures all operations in the United States have a chance to be selected. These operators were contacted by mail, internet, telephone, or personal interview to obtain information on crop acreage, yield, and production for the 2014 crop year and winter wheat and Durum wheat seedings for the 2015 crop year. Estimating procedures: National, Regional, State, and grower reported data were reviewed for reasonableness and consistency with historical estimates. Each State Office submits their analysis of the current situation to the Agricultural Statistics Board (ASB). Survey data are compiled to the National level and are reviewed at this level independently of each State's review. Estimates were based on survey data and the historical relationship of official estimates to survey data. Revision policy: These estimates will not be revised; instead, new forecasts will be made throughout the growing season. End-of-season estimates are made after harvest and published in the Small Grains Annual Summary report at the end of September. Reliability: The survey used to make acreage estimates is subject to sampling and non-sampling type errors that are common to all surveys. The survey indications are subject to sampling variability because not all operations with winter wheat are included in the sample. This variability, as measured by the relative standard error at the National level, is approximately 1.8 percent for winter wheat. This means that chances are approximately 95 out of 100 that survey estimates for acres will be within plus or minus 3.6 percent for winter wheat. Survey indications are also subject to non-sampling errors such as omission, duplication, imputation for missing data, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. These errors cannot be measured directly, but they are minimized through rigid quality controls in the data collection process and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity statisticians in the Crops Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@nass.usda.gov Lance Honig, Chief, Crops Branch........................... (202) 720-2127 Anthony Prillaman, Head, Field Crops Section............... (202) 720-2127 Brent Chittenden - Oats, Rye, Wheat................... (202) 720-8068 Angie Considine - Cotton, Cotton Ginnings, Sorghum.... (202) 720-5944 Tony Dahlman - Crop Weather, Barley................... (202) 720-7621 Chris Hawthorn - Corn, Flaxseed, Proso Millet......... (202) 720-9526 James Johanson - County Estimates, Hay................ (202) 690-8533 Anthony Prillaman - Peanuts, Rice..................... (202) 720-2127 Travis Thorson - Soybeans, Sunflower, Other Oilseeds.. (202) 720-7369 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: http://www.nass.usda.gov Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e- mail subscription. To set-up this free subscription, visit http://www.nass.usda.gov and in the "Follow NASS" box under "Receive reports by Email," click on "National" or "State" to select the reports you would like to receive. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov. 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