RALEIGH, N.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the August Crop Production report Thursday showing the potential for cotton production to exceed the 2016 production by 105 percent. This month’s report is the first of the season to forecast row crop production.
“We recognize this is a hectic time of the year for farmers, and we want to express our sincere appreciation for their time and effort in participating in the monthly Agricultural Yield Survey,” said Dee Webb, North Carolina state statistician. “By responding, the growers provided essential information for crop yields that helped determine monthly production forecasts. Their responses also help the farming community and related agriculture industries and ensures USDA bases its decisions on the most accurate data.”
Cotton
- Yield is forecast at 967 pounds per acre, up 321 pounds from last year’s yield of 646 pounds per acre.
- Production is forecast at 705,000 bales, up 105 percent from last year’s production of 343,000 bales.
- Harvested acres are expected to total 350,000 acres compared with 255,000 acres harvested in 2016.
Peanuts
- Yield per acre is forecast at 4,100 pounds, up 650 pounds per acre from last year.
- Production is forecast at 484 million pounds, up 42 percent from last year’s production.
- Harvested acres are projected at 118,000 acres, up 19,000 acres from 2016.
Winter Wheat
- Yield is forecast to average 57 bushels, up 16 bushels from last year’s yield of 41 bushels per acre.
- Production is forecast to total 23.4 million bushels, up 61 percent from last year’s production of 14.6 million bushels.
- Harvested acres are projected at 410,000 acres, up 55 acres from last year.
Soybeans
- Yield is forecast to average 38 bushels per acre, up three bushels from last year’s yield of 35.
- Production is forecast to total 63.5 million bushels, up nine percent from last year’s production of 58.1 million bushels.
- Harvested acres are projected at 1.67 million acres, up 10,000 acres from last year.
Corn for grain
- Yield is forecast at 140 bushels per acre, up 11 bushels from last year’s yield of 129 bushels per acre.
- Production is forecast to total 114.8 million bushels, down five percent from the 121.3 million bushels produced last year.
- Harvested acres are forecast at 820,000, down from 940,000 acres harvested in 2016.
Flue-Cured Tobacco
- Yield per acre is forecast at 2,200 pounds, up 200 pounds per acre from last year.
- Production is forecast at 352 million pounds, up seven percent from last year’s production.
- Harvested acres are projected at 160,000 acres, down 5,000 acres from 2016.
NASS gathered data for the August Agricultural Yield Survey earlier this month. The monthly yield surveys begin in May with the focus on small grains through July and shifts to row crops beginning in August.
All reports are available on the NASS website: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Calendar/reports_by_date.php.
For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS North Carolina Field Office at (800) 437-8451, or visit https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/North_Carolina/.
— USDA, NASS North Carolina Field Office in cooperation with North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
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