SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) surveyed producers and published an estimate of 570,000 acres of wheat planted in Illinois. Beginning May 12, and continuing through mid-August, NASS will publish a series of monthly crop reports that forecast the average wheat yield per acre in the state. Questionnaires will be mailed to producers in late April for the May Crop Production report.

“These monthly reports are used by famers and the entire wheat industry,” said Mark Schleusener, Illinois State Statistician, “and they rely solely on participation and response from Illinois producers.” NASS encourages farmers to respond online at agcounts.usda.gov, or by mail. Prompt response helps reduce costs. “Providing timely and accurate agricultural information in this time of declared national emergency is especially important,” added Schleusener. 

Beginning in June, additional information for the monthly forecasts will come from observations of plant growth and development in randomly selected fields across Illinois. “This data, collected directly from wheat fields, will help augment data collected from farmers,” Mr. Schleusener explained. 

The results of this survey will be kept confidential and will be available in aggregate form only, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified, as required by federal law. Results will be published in the Crop Production report, the first to be released Tuesday, May 12, 2020. 

For more information, call the NASS Heartland Regional Field Office at (800) 551-1014.

— USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

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