Although many economists and peanut industry analysts predict a double-digit decrease in acreage, the National Agriculture Statistics Service says, based on their interviews with producers, the industry will only decrease total acreage by four percent in 2011. This information was released in NASS’ annual “Prospective Plantings” report in late March.
According to the report, growers intend to plant 1.24 million acres, down just four percent from the previous year. An increase in planted area is expected in Florida and South Carolina, with acreage unchanged in New Mexico. All other states are expected to plant fewer acres of peanuts than last year, but it may not be as much of a decrease as expected.
Southeast growers, which NASS designates as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina, intend to plant 951,000 acres of peanuts, a decrease of four percent from 2010. In Georgia, planted area is expected to also decrease four percent from last season to 540,000 acres.
Plantings in Virginia and North Carolina are expected to total 95,000 acres, down 10 percent from 2010. The decrease reflects growers intentions to plant more cotton in this region.
Growers in the Southwestern states of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas intend to plant 191,000 acres, down three percent from the previous year. Growers in this region are in dire need of rainfall.
Cotton Increases In Every State
Given cotton’s dramatic rise in price over the fall and winter, it is little wonder that cotton plantings are up, but it is somewhat surprising that it is not up more than 15 percent, the figure calculated in the NASS report. In all, cotton plantings for 2011 are expected to total 12.6 million acres.
Cotton acreage increases are expected in every state, with the largest increase, at 548,000 acres, expected in Texas. Increases of more than 100,000 acres are likely in North Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi.
In all of the Southeastern states, which for cotton NASS designates as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, upland growers intend to plant 3.10 million acres, up 19 percent from last year.
In the Delta States of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee, producers expect to plant 2.28 million acres, up 19 percent from last year. The largest acreage increase in the Delta region is expected to be in Mississippi, where growers intend to plant 110,000 acres more than in 2010.
Corn Up, Soybeans Down
Corn growers intend to plant 92.2 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2011, up 5 percent from last year and 7 percent higher than in 2009. If realized, this will be the second highest planted acreage in the United States since 1944, behind only the 93.5 million acres planted in 2007. Acreage increases of 250,000 or more are expected in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota. The largest decrease is expected in Texas, down 150,000 acres.
Soybean planted area for 2011 is estimated at 76.6 million acres, down one percent from last year. If realized, the United States planted area will be the third largest on record. Compared with last year, planted acreage declines of 100,000 acres or more are expected in Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska and Ohio. However, if realized, the planted area in New York and North Dakota will be the largest on record.
Wheat Acres Up
All wheat planted area is estimated at 58 million acres, up 8 percent from 2010. Winter wheat planted area, at 41.2 million acres, is up 10 percent. Durum is estimated at 2.37 million acres. PG
For more information or links on this subject, visit the precision ag Web site at www.alabamaprecisionagonline.com.