March 30, 2012

Nebraska producers expect to increase acreage planted to corn, sorghum, dry edible beans, and oats, while decreasing acreage devoted to soybeans, hay, wheat (sown last fall), sunflowers, and sugarbeets, according to the Nebraska Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

• Nebraska corn growers expect to plant 10.3 million acres for all purposes in 2012, up 5% from 2011 and the largest acreage since 1933.
• Soybean producers intend to plant 4.7 million acres, down 4% from a year earlier.
• Hay acreage for harvest, at 2.4 million, is expected to be down 3% from last year.
• Last fall, winter wheat was sown on 1.35 million acres, down 11% from 2011. This is the smallest winter wheat acreage planted in Nebraska since records began in 1909.
• Sorghum growers expect to plant 165,000 acres, up 10% from last year.
• Dry edible bean producers intend to plant 155,000 acres, up 41% from 2011.
• Oat planting intentions, at 75,000 acres, are up 15,000 acres from 2011.
• Sunflower planting intentions, at 50,000 acres, are down 9,000 acres from last year.
• Sugarbeet plantings, at 50,000 acres, are down 4% from a year ago.

U.S. Prospective Plantings

Nationally, corn growers intend to plant 95.9 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2012, up 4% from last year and 9% higher than in 2010. This would be the highest planted acreage since 1937 when an estimated 97.2 million acres were planted.

Soybean planted area for 2012 is estimated at 73.9 million acres, down 1% from last year and down 5% from 2010. Compared with 2011, planted area is down or unchanged across the Corn Belt and Great Plains with the exceptions of Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

All wheat planted area is estimated at 55.9 million acres, up 3% from 2011. The 2012 winter wheat planted area, at 41.7 million acres, is up 3% from last year but down 1% from the previous estimate. Of this total, about 29.9 million acres are hard red winter, 8.4 million acres are soft red winter, and 3.5 million acres are white winter. Area planted to other spring wheat for 2012 is estimated at 12.0 million acres, down 3% from 2011. Of this total, about 11.3 million acres are hard red spring wheat. Durum planted area for 2012 is estimated at 2.22 million acres, up 62% from the previous year.

Grower Intentions

These acreage estimates are based on surveys conducted the first two weeks of March. This report is intended to assist growers in finalizing their acreage plans for 2012. Actual area planted may vary from that indicated due to farmer’s final assessment of planting options, effects of weather, availability of production inputs, and changes in price expectations for the coming crop year.

Access the National publication for this release at:
http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/nass/ProsPlan//2010s/2012/ProsPlan-03-30-2012.pdf