A mid-spring freeze has reduced wheat production forecasts in Caldwell County and across Kentucky, yet the forecast is still significantly higher than last year’s crop.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the June Crop Production report Friday, showing a small in the yield forecast for Kentucky winter wheat. As one of the state’s top producers of the grain, the news is a blow to Caldwell County growers.
“Frosts earlier this spring robbed some of the yield potential,” said David Knopf, director of the NASS Eastern Mountain Regional Office in Kentucky. “The amount of yield loss was dependent on the maturity of the crop at the time. Individual field impact ranged from no damage, to a total loss.”
The Caldwell County yield estimate for 2019 was 1.08 million bushels of winter wheat, which is sixth most among Kentucky’s 120 counties.
Growers statewide expect a yield of 73 bushels per acre in 2020, down 3 bushels from May and down 3 bushels from last year. Based on an expected 390,000 acres to be harvested for grain, total production would be 28.5 million bushels. The expected crop for this year would be up 14% from the previous year. The forecast was based on crop conditions as of June 1.
As of Sunday, Kentucky wheat was rated 2% very poor, 7% poor, 24% fair, 61% good and 6% excellent. Three-quarters of this year’s crop has matured, with 11% having been harvested.
Winter wheat production for the nation was forecast at 1.27 billion bushels, up 1% from the May 1 forecast and down 3% from 2019. Based on June 1 conditions, the United States yield is forecast at 52.1 bushels per acre, up 0.4 bushels from last month and down 1.5 bushels from last year.
The expected area to be harvested for grain or seed totals 24.3 million acres, down slightly from last year.
Source - https://www.timesleader.net
