04/01/08 U.S. all wheat acreage up

Farm and Ranch April 1, 2008 As expected record wheat prices are drawing more acres into wheat production this year. USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that U.S. farmers planned to plant a total of 63.8 million acres of wheat, an increase of six percent from 2007. Most of that is winter wheat seeded last fall, 46.8 million acres, four percent above last year and slightly up from a previous estimate. Spring wheat acres at 14.3 million are up eight percent from 2007. Durum acreage is up 22 percent. Joe Victor of Allendale Incorporated says based on his firm's harvested acreage estimate and trend line yields the U.S. wheat crop this year would be about 2.24 billion bushels resulting in a 2008-2009 ending stocks number of 336 million bushels. That compares to 242 million this year. Victor: "What does it do to the season average farm price? A $1.25 less. We are suggesting a season average farm price of $5.80 versus USDA's present $6.65." Here in the Pacific Northwest Idaho shows the largest percentage increase in total wheat plantings this year with acreage up 18%, followed by Oregon with a ten percent increase and Washington all wheat acreage up eight percent. That USDA report also showed U.S. corn acres down eight percent from 2007, soybean plantings up 18 percent and barley acres up three percent. With the exception of small chickpeas, pulse crop plantings look to be down from last year. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.