Washington barley acreage could hit 56 year low

Washington Ag April 1, 2009 A survey of farmers conducted in early March by the Washington Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service indicates an increase in planted acres of most Washington crops for 2009. An exception to that says Linda Simpson of the Washington Field Office is barley. Simpson: "Washington barley growers are expected to seed an estimated 145-thousand acres of barley for harvest this year, the lowest acreage since 1953 when growers planted 109-thousand acres." The decline follows the national trend which could see the third smallest barley planted area on record. Wheat is the dominant field crop in Washington and Simpson says that acreage should be up this year. Simpson: "Compared with last year growers have planted 50-thousand more acres of winter wheat and 30-thousand more acres of spring wheat." That would put total wheat acres in Washington, both winter and spring, up four percent from 2008 at 2.3 million acres. Washington is the only major spring wheat producing state in the U.S. in which farmers plan to increase seedings. Washington farmers plan to plant about the same amount of field corn and lentils as in 2008 but indicate increased acreage of chickpeas, dry peas and hay. The Agricultural Statistics Service also reported Tuesday that March 1st wheat stocks in Washington at nearly 66 million bushels were up 44 percent from a year ago and at the highest level since March 1st of 2006. Washington, Oregon and Idaho stocks combined were up 49 percent. PNW barley stocks are up nineteen percent. I'm Bob Hoff and that's Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network.