Virginia winter wheat forecast up 69% from 2019

Virginia farmers expect to harvest 11.0 million bushels of winter wheat during 2020 according to the Virginia field office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The expected crop for 2020 would be up 69% from the previous year. The forecast was based on crop conditions as of June 1 and decreased 6% from the May forecast. Growers expect a yield of 61.0 bushels per acre, down 1.0 bushels from 2019 and down 4.0 bushels from May. Farmers seeded 260,000 acres last fall with 180,000 acres to be harvested for grain. Acres for other uses totaled 80,000 acres and will be used as cover crop for tobacco or cut as silage or hay. As of June 1, winter wheat was rated 4% poor, 29% fair, 63% good, and 4% excellent.

Winter wheat production for the Nation was forecast at 1.27 billion bushels, up 1% from the May 1 forecast and down 3% from 2019. Based on June 1 conditions, the United States yield is forecast at 52.1 bushels per acre, up 0.4 bushels from last month and down 1.5 bushels from last year.

The expected area to be harvested for grain or seed totals 24.3 million acres, down slightly from last year.

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