10/17/08 Idaho grain production

Idaho farmers had increased small grain yields in 2008. The Winter wheat yield at 75 bushels per acre is up two bushels from last year. The state's winter wheat production of 60 million bushels from 800 thousand harvest acres is up 16 percent from 2007. National Ag Statistics Service reports that 71 percent of this year's winter wheat production was white, 29 percent red. Contrast that to the spring wheat crop of 47 percent white, 53 percent red. Spring wheat yields were 72 bushels per acre, four bushels higher from a year ago. 520 thousand acres of spring wheat were harvested for a total of 37.4 million bushels, a 22 percent increase over 2007. Idaho durum wheat at 730 thousand bushels was down 41 percent. Adding it all up and Idaho wheat production increased 17 percent this year from 2007. Idaho barley yield was up 13 percent to just less than 50 million bushels while oats total 1.38 million bushels, a 13 percent production increase. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott