04/02/07 More corn, barley and spring wheat in PNW

Farm and Ranch April 2, 2007 Corn isn't a major commodity in the Pacific Northwest but the region's farmers are planning to plant more of it this spring joining their counterparts across the nation who all together intend to increase corn seedings by 15 percent over last year to 90.5 million acres. That would be the highest U.S. corn acreage since 1944 and a million or two acres more than most people had expected. Friday's USDA Planting Intentions report also pegged spring wheat acreage down by seven percent this year but total U.S. wheat acres may be up five percent at 60.3 million acres. Farmers plan to increase barley acreage by seven percent. They plan to decrease soybean acreage by 11 percent. USDA chief economist Keith Collins had this to say Friday after looking over the report. Collins: "Today's report really indicates farmers are playing close attention to market prospects for the coming year." USDA increased planted winter wheat acreage by one percent from its estimate last fall. Most of the increase was in soft red winter wheat states. Oregon was one of a few states that showed a decline from the initial estimate. Of the 44.5 million acres of U.S. winter wheat 3.92 million are white wheat. While spring wheat acres are down nationally, primarily in the hard red spring wheat belt, planting intentions in the PNW are up over last year by four percent in Idaho, eight percent in Oregon and seven percent in Washington. Northwest farmers plan on sowing fewer chickpeas and lentils this spring and less acreage to dry peas in Idaho and Oregon but not in Washington. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.