Sept. 30, 2011

Oat Production Smallest since 1868

The final 2011 production for Nebraska wheat totaled 65.3 million bushels, 2% above last year’s crop but 15% below two years ago, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office. Area harvested for grain, at 1.45 million acres, is 40,000 less than last year. Average yield in Nebraska, at 45 bushels per acre, is 2 bushels above last year and 3 bushels below 2009.

Oat production in Nebraska during 2011 totaled 1.3 million bushels, 24% below the 2010 crop and the smallest production since 1868. Planted acreage, at 60,000, is 33% below 2010. Area harvested for grain, at 20,000, is 5,000 below the level set a year ago. Yield, at 65 bushels per acre, is down 3 bushels from last year.

Nationally, all wheat production totaled 2.01 billion bushels in 2011, down 9% from 2010. Grain area totaled 45.7 million acres, down 4% from the previous year. The United States yield is 43.9 bushels per acre, down 2.4 bushels from the previous year’s record high but still ranks as the fifth highest on record. The levels of production and changes from 2010 by type are winter wheat, 1.49 billion bushels, up 1%; other spring wheat, 462 million bushels, down 25%; Durum wheat, 51.9 million bushels, down 51%.

Oat production is estimated at a record low 54.0 million bushels, down 33% from 2010. Yield is estimated at 57.5 bushels per acre, down 6.8 bushels from the previous year. Harvested area, at 940 thousand acres, is 26% below last year. This is the smallest acreage harvested for grain on record, surpassing the previous record low set in 2010.

Barley production is estimated at 155 million bushels, down 14% from 2010, and the lowest since 1936. Average yield per acre, at 69.2 bushels, is down 3.9 bushels from the previous year. Producers seeded 2.56 million acres in 2011, down 11% from last year. This is the lowest planted acreage on record. Harvested area, at 2.24 million acres, is down 9% from 2010, and the lowest level since 1881.

For the national Small Grains 2011 Summary see
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/SmalGraiSu//2010s/2011/SmalGraiSu-09-30-2011.pdf