VA SOYBEAN, CORN AND PEANUT ACREAGE UP FROM 2011

Virginia’s soybean producers intend to increase acreage in 2012 to 590,000 according to the results of a survey conducted March 1 by the SDA/NASS Virginia Field Office. If realized, planted acreage would be 30,000 acres above last year.

Cotton producers expect to plant 95,000 acres, down 18 percent from last year. Corn acreage is estimated to be 500,000 acres, an increase of 10,000 acres from 2011. Peanut producers intend to plant 23,000 acres, an increase of 7,000 acres from last year.

Tobacco acreage intentions devoted to flue are 21,000 acres, an increase from last year’s acreage of 19,500. Fire-cured tobacco producers intend to harvest 350 acres, a 50 acre decrease from last year. Burley producers intend to harvest 2,700 acres this year which is an increase of 700 acres from 2011.

Virginia’s oat producers intend to plant 11,000 acres, remaining consistent from the previous year. Winter wheat acres increased 19 percent to 320,000 acres. Barley acreage seeded last fall for all uses was 60,000 acres, down 33 percent from last year.

Land intended for hay production is 1,280,000 acres, down 7 percent from 2011.

Planting of major row crops is just in the beginning or planning stages. Therefore, producers may change their plans as the planting season progresses.

Corn Planted Acreage Up 4 Percent from 2011
Soybean Acreage Down 1 Percent
All Wheat Acreage Up 3 Percent
All Cotton Acreage Down 11 Percent

Corn growers intend to plant 95.9 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2012, up 4 percent from last year and 9 percent higher than in 2010. If realized, this will represent the highest planted acreage in the United States 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 percent from last year and down 5 percent 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 percent from 2011. The 2012 winter wheat planted area, at 41.7 million acres, is up 3 percent from last year but down 1 percent 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 percent 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 percent from the previous year.

All cotton planted area for 2012 is expected to total 13.2 million acres, 11 percent below last year. Upland acreage is expected to total 12.9 million acres, down 11 percent from 2011. American Pima acreage is expected to total 270,000 acres, down 12 percent from 2011.