Washington milk production up; spring planting

Washington Ag Today April 21, 2010 On a percentage basis Washington saw one of the largest increases in milk production in the country this past month as compared to March of 2009. The USDA reports milk production in the state during March was up 7.9 percent from March of last year. There were ten thousand more dairy cows in Washington last month compared to a year ago and output per cow increased 70 pounds over what cows produced in March of 2009. Nationally milk production increased less than one percent.

?

The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service recently published cash rent data by county for the U.S. Joe Prusacki of NASS explains.

Prusacki: “The county cash rents was mandated in the 2008 Farm Bill. So last year was the first year, this is the second year that we conducted and published that information. We work closely with FSA on that one because they are using that with the CRP. You know for the proper value of CRP. So it is a joint relationship that we have going on with FSA.”

The NASS data for many counties in the United States is available for download from the agency website at www dot nass dot usda dot gov (

www.nass.usda.gov

Meanwhile, NASS reported this week that Washington farmers have sown 74 percent of this year’s spring wheat crop. That’s well ahead of last year and the five year average pace for now. Seeding of other spring crops is also ahead of average.