LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Based on August 1 conditions, corn production in Colorado is forecast at 142.78 million bushels, according to the August 1 Agricultural Yield Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. This forecast is down 4 percent from last year’s 148.35 million bushels. The 1.21 million acres expected to be harvested for grain this year is unchanged from the June estimate and up 60,000 acres from the acres harvested a year ago. Average yield is expected to decrease 11.0 bushels per acre from last year to 118.0 bushels per acre. As of July 31, Colorado’s corn crop condition was rated 7 percent very poor, 17 percent poor, 53 percent fair, 18 percent good, and 5 percent excellent. Corn silking was 51 percent complete, compared with 81 percent last year and the 5-year average of 74 percent.
Sorghum production in 2022 is forecast at 12.32 million bushels, down 17 percent from the 14.80 million bushels harvested a year earlier. Growers expect to harvest 385,000 acres this year, down from the 400,000 acres harvested last year. Average yield is forecast at 32.0 bushels per acre, 5.0 bushels per acre below last year’s final yield. As of July 31, the sorghum crop condition was rated 5 percent poor, 64 percent fair, 26 percent good, and 5 percent excellent. Sorghum headed was 27 percent complete, compared with 43 percent last year and the 5-year average of 34 percent.
Barley production is forecast at 7.62 million bushels, down 7 percent from the July 1 forecast but up 46 percent from last year’s crop. Area for harvest in 2022, at 60,000 acres, is up 13,000 acres from the 47,000 acres harvested last year. Barley yield is forecast at 127.0 bushels per acre, down 10.0 bushels per acre from the July 1 forecast but 16.0 bushels per acre above last year. As of July 31, the barley crop condition was rated 5 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 24 percent fair, 43 percent good, and 23 percent excellent. Barley turning color was 59 percent complete, compared with 69 percent last year and the 5-year average of 77 percent.
Winter wheat production is forecast at 42.90 million bushels, down 4 percent from the July 1 forecast and down 38 percent from the 69.56 million bushels produced last year. Area for harvest is expected to total 1.65 million acres, 230,000 acres less than the 1.88 million acres harvested in 2021. As of August 1, the average yield is forecast at 26.0 bushels per acre, down 1.0 bushel per acre from the July 1 forecast and 11.0 bushels per acre below last year’s final yield.
Colorado farmers and ranchers expect to harvest 690,000 acres of alfalfa hay this year, down 90,000 acres from 2021. They also expect to harvest 650,000 acres of other hay in 2021, down 50,000 acres from last year. Alfalfa production is forecast at 2.00 million tons, down 36 percent from the 3.12 million tons produced in 2021. Other hay production is forecast at 1.11 million tons, down 19 percent from the 1.37 million tons produced a year ago. Yields are expected to average 2.90 tons per acre for alfalfa hay and 1.70 tons per acre for other hay, compared to last year’s yields of 4.00 tons per acre for alfalfa hay and 1.95 tons per acre for other hay.
Dry bean production for 2022 is forecast at 693,000 hundredweight, up 15 percent from the 602,000 hundredweight produced a year earlier. Yields are expected to average 1,980 pounds per acre, up from 1,880 pounds per acre last year. Growers expect to harvest 35,000 acres this year, up 3,000 acres from 32,000 acres last year. As of July 31, 50 percent of the dry bean crop was blooming, compared with 72 percent last year and the five-year average of 62 percent. The dry bean crop was rated 3 percent very poor, 16 percent poor, 30 percent fair, 31 percent good, and 20 percent excellent.
Sugarbeet production is forecast at 663,000 tons, down 17 percent from the 795,000 tons produced in 2021. Growers expect to harvest 22,400 acres this year compared with 23,600 acres a year ago. Yields are expected to average 29.6 tons per acre, down from 33.7 tons per acre a year ago. As of July 31, the sugarbeet crop was rated 50 percent fair and 50 percent good.
Colorado peach production for 2022 is forecast at 12,500 tons, up 9 percent from last year’s production of 11,500 tons.
UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS
Corn production for grain is forecast at 14.4 billion bushels, down 5 percent from 2021. Based on conditions as of August 1, yields are expected to average 175.4 bushels per harvested acre, down 1.6 bushels from last year. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 81.8 million acres, down less than 1 percent from the June forecast and down 4 percent from the previous year.
Sorghum production is forecast at 286 million bushels, down 36 percent from last year. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 5.38 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast but down 17 percent from 2021. Based on August 1 conditions, yield is forecast at 53.2 bushels per acre, 15.8 bushels below the 2021 yield of 69.0 bushels per acre.
Barley production is forecast at 158 million bushels, up 34 percent from 2021. Based on conditions as of August 1, the average yield for the United States is forecast at 66.3 bushels per acre, up 5.9 bushels from last year. Area harvested for grain or seed, at 2.38 million acres is down 1 percent from the Acreage report released on June 30, 2022, but up 22 percent from 2021.
All wheat production for grain is forecast at 1.78 billion bushels, up less than 1 percent from the previous forecast and up 8 percent from 2021. Based on August 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 47.5 bushels per harvested acre, up 0.2 bushel from the previous forecast and up 3.2 bushels from 2021. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 37.5 million acres, down less than 1 percent from the previous forecast, but up 1 percent from 2021.
Winter wheat production is forecast at 1.20 billion bushels, down less than 1 percent from the July 1 forecast and down 6 percent from 2021. As of August 1, the United States yield is forecast at 47.9 bushels per acre, down 0.1 bushel from last month and down 2.3 bushels from last year’s average yield of 50.2 bushels per acre. Area expected to be harvested for grain or seed totals 25.0 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast, but down 2 percent from last year. Hard Red Winter production, at 576 million bushels, is down 2 percent from last month. Soft Red Winter, at 381 million bushels, is up 2 percent from the July forecast. White Winter, at 240 million bushels, is up slightly from last month. Of the White Winter production, 14.6 million bushels are Hard White and 226 million bushels are Soft White.
Production of alfalfa and alfalfa mixture dry hay for 2022 is forecast at 49.1 million tons, down less than 1 percent from 2021. Based on August 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 3.17 tons per acre, down 0.06 ton from last year. Harvested area is forecast at 15.5 million acres, unchanged from the Acreage report, but up 1 percent from 2021. Production of other hay is forecast at 67.7 million tons, down 5 percent from 2021. Based on August 1 conditions, the United States yield is expected to average 1.88 tons per acre, down 0.12 ton from last year. Harvested area is forecast at 36.0 million acres, unchanged from the Acreage report, but up 2 percent from 2021.
Production of dry edible beans is forecast at 24.5 million cwt, up 8 percent from 2021. Area planted is estimated at 1.28 million acres, up slightly from the Acreage report but down 8 percent from 2021. Area harvested is forecast at 1.24 million acres, up slightly from the Acreage report but down 7 percent from 2021. The yield is forecast at 1,979 pounds per acre, an increase of 278 pounds from last season.
Production of sugarbeets for the 2022 crop year is forecast at 33.5 million tons, down 9 percent from last year. Producers expect to harvest 1.15 million acres up 3 percent from last year. Yield is forecast at 29.2 tons per acre, down 4.0 tons from last year.
United States peach total production for the 2022 season is forecast at 583,500 tons, is down 15 percent from 2021. In California, the largest growing State, production is forecast at 430,000 tons, is down 2 percent from the previous forecast and down 15 percent from 2021.
For a full copy of the Crop Production report, please visit www.nass.usda.gov.
–USDA, NASS