USDA Pacific region field crop review.
COTTON: California Upland cotton production is forecast at 165.0 thousand bales, 23 percent below last year. Harvest acreage is estimated at 46.0 thousand acres, down 18 percent from a year ago. The yield is forecast at 1,722 pounds per acre, down 6 percent from last year. The California American Pima cotton production, is forecast at 356.0 thousand bales, 29 percent below the previous year. Harvest acreage is estimated at 114.0 thousand acres, down 26 percent from a year ago. The yield is forecast at 1,499 pounds per acre, down 4 percent from a year ago.
United States Upland cotton production is forecast at 12.8 million 480- pound bales, down 29 percent from 2014. Upland cotton harvested area is expected to total 8.00 million acres, down slightly from last month, but down 13 percent from 2014. The United States American Pima production, forecast at 451,000 bales, was carried forward from last month. American Pima harvested area, at 154.3 thousand acres, was carried forward from last month.
RICE: California’s 2015 rice crop forecast at 35.3 million cwt, is down 4 percent from the previous year. The yield forecast is 8,600 pounds per acre, up slightly from last year. Harvested acreage forecast is 411,000 acres.
The 2015 United States rice production is forecast at 191 million cwt, up 2 percent from October and down 14 percent from last year. Area for harvest is expected to total 2.57 million acres, unchanged from October but down 12 percent from last year. Based on conditions as of November 1, the average United States yield is forecast at 7,423 pounds per acre, up 116 pounds from the October forecast but 149 pounds below the 2014 average yield of 7,572 pounds per acre
DRY BEANS: California’s 2015 all dry been production is forecast at 935,000 cwt, down 10 percent from the 2014 crop. The 42.5 thousand acres for harvest is 11 percent below last year. The forecast yield of 2,200 pounds per acre, is slightly above the 2014 yield.
The United States dry edible bean production is forecast at 28.1 million cwt for 2015, down 4 percent from last year. Planted area is estimated at 1.76 million acres, up 2 percent from 2014. Harvested area is forecast at 1.71 million acres, 2 percent above the previous year. The average United States yield is forecast at 1,648 pounds per acre, a decrease of 105 pounds from 2014.
WINTER WHEAT: California’s 2015 winter wheat production is estimated at 315 thousand tons, 31 percent below 2014. Average yields came in at 2.10 tons per acre, down 12 percent from the previous year. Harvested acreage estimated at 150 thousand acres, 21 percent below last year.
The United States winter wheat production for 2015 totaled 1.37 billion bushels, down less than 1 percent from the revised 2014 total. The United States yield at 42.5 bushels per acre, is down 0.1 bushel from 2014. Area harvested from grain is estimated at 32.3 million acres, down slightly from the previous year
HAY: Production of alfalfa hay in Nevada is forecast at 1.03 million tons, down 12 percent from 2014.
Production of alfalfa hay in California is forecast at 5.33 million tons, down 6 percent from last year’s crop. Other hay production is forecast at 1.37 million tons, down 20 percent from the 2014 crop.
SUGAR BEETS: California sugar beet production is forecast at 1.1 million tons, up 10 percent from the 2014 crop. With harvested acreage forecast at 25.0 thousand acres, the yield is 44.2 tons per acre.
The United States sugar beet production for the 2015 crop year is forecast at 35.2 million tons, up 1 percent from the previous forecast and up 12 percent from the last year. Producers expect to harvest 1.14 million acres, unchanged from previous forecast, but down slightly from 2014. Expected yield is forecast at 30.8 tons per acre, up slightly from the previous forecast and up 3.4 tons from last year.
CORN: California’s 2015 corn for grain production forecast is 346 thousand tons, down 21 percent from 2014. The harvested acreage is expected to total 65 thousand acres, 32 percent below a year earlier. The forecast yields, at 5.32 tons per acre, up 15 percent from a year earlier.
The United States corn production is forecast at 13.7 billion bushels, up less than one percent from the October forecast, but down 4 percent from last year’s record production. Based on conditions as of November 1, yields are expected to average 169.3 bushels per acre, up 1.3 bushel from the October forecast but 1.7 bushels below the 2014 average. If realized, this will be the second highest yield and third largest production on record for the United States. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 80.7 million acres, unchanged from the October forecast but down 3 percent from 2014.
BARLEY: California’s 2015 barley production, estimated at 33 thousand tons, 25 percent below last year. The average yield of 1.32 tons per acre was 25 percent below 2014. Acreage harvested for grain was estimated at 25 thousand acres, unchanged from 2014.
The United States barley production is estimated at 214 million bushels, up 18 percent from the revised 2014 total. Average yield per acre, at 68.9 bushels, is down 3.8 bushels from the previous year. Harvested area, at 3.11 million acres, is up 25 percent from 2014.
CALIFORNIA MILLED RICE STOCKS
OCTOBER 2015
Milled rice stocks in all positions totaled 3.00 million cwt., up 5 percent from the August 1, 2015 level and up 170 percent from a year ago. The data for second heads, screenings, and brewers were not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations.
CALIFORNIA ROUGH RICE STOCKS
OCTOBER 1, 2015
California rough rice stocks in all positions on October 1, 2015, totaled 8.31 million cwt., up 10 percent from the total on October 1, 2014 of 7.54 million cwt. California rough rice stocks were down 42 percent from the August 1, 2015 level. Medium grain varieties accounted for 95 percent of the total rough rice, while long and short varieties combined to account for 5 percent of the total rough rice stocks.
FALL POTATO PRODUCTION
California’s production of fall potatoes is expected to total 3.72 million cwt, down 5 percent from 2014. The average yield per acre, at 465 cwt is down 1 percent from 2014. The harvested acreages, at 8.0 thousand acres is down 4 percent from last year. The United States production of fall potatoes for 2015 is forecast at 408.6 million cwt, 1 percent above 2014. Area harvested, at 946.0 thousand acres, is up 2 percent from last year. The average yield forecast, at 432 cwt per acre, is down slightly from the previous year.
PRICES RECEIVED BY CALIFORNIA FARMERS – SEPTEMBER 2015
September prices for wheat and barley were not published to avoid disclosure of individual buyers. There was insufficient sales to establish a monthly price for upland cotton lint.
U.S. PRICES RECEIVED INDEX
The September Prices Received Index (Agricultural Production), at 98, decreased 3.9 percent from August. At 87, the Crop Production Index decreased 1.1 percent. At 109, the Livestock Production Index decreased 6.8 percent. Producers received lower prices for cattle, market eggs, broilers, and hogs but higher prices for lettuce, milk, apples, and sweet corn. In addition to prices, the indexes are influenced by the monthly mix of commodities producers market. Increased monthly movement of soybeans, corn, potatoes, and calves offset the decreased marketing of beef cattle, wheat, cotton, and barley.
The Prices Received Index is down 8.4 percent from the previous year. The Food Commodities Index, at 103, decreased 6.4 percent from the previous month and is down 13 percent from September 2014.
The September Index of Prices Paid for Commodities and Services, Interest, Taxes, and Farm Wage Rates (PPITW), at 107, is down 0.9 percent from August and 4.5 percent from September 2014. Lower prices in September for feeder cattle, concentrates, complete feeds, and gasoline more than offset higher prices for nitrogen, LP gas, feeder pigs, and hay & forages.
Crop Production: The September index, at 87, decreased 1.1 percent from August but is unchanged from September 2014. The index decrease for oilseed & grain production more than offset the increases for other crop production and fruit & tree nut indexes.
Feed Grain: The September index, at 63, declined 3.1 percent from last month but is 6.8 percent above a year ago. The corn price, at $3.68 per bushel, remained unchanged from last month but is up 19 cents from September 2014. At $7.36 per cwt, sorghum grain is 54 cents below August but is 83 cents higher than September a year earlier.
Food Grain: At 69, the index for September is 1.5 percent higher than the previous month but is 16 percent below a year earlier. The September price for all wheat, at $4.72 per bushel, is down 13 cents from August and is 99 cents below September 2014.
Oilseed: At 72, the index for September is down 7.7 percent from August and 17 percent lower than September 2014. The soybean price, at $9.05 per bushel, decreased 66 cents from August and is $1.85 below September a year earlier.
Fruit and tree nut: The September index, at 129, is up 0.8 percent from August but is 2.3 percent lower than a year earlier. Price increases during September for apples and oranges more than offset price decreases for peaches and strawberries.
Vegetable and melon: At 107, the index for September is up 0.9 percent from the previous month and 14 percent above September 2014. Price increases during September for lettuce and sweet corn more than offset price declines for potatoes and onions.
Other crop: The September index, at 90, is up 5.9 percent from the previous month but is 8.2 percent below September 2014. The all hay price, at $145 per ton, is unchanged from August but is $27.00 lower than September 2014. At 60.3 cents per pound, the price for upland cotton is up 2.3 cents from August but is down 8.6 cents from September 2014.
Livestock Production: The index for September, at 109, is 6.8 percent below the previous month and down 17 percent from September a year earlier. Compared with a year ago, prices are lower for milk, broilers, beef cattle, hogs, and calves and higher for market eggs and turkeys.
Meat animal: At 114, the September index is down 7.3 percent from the previous month and 15 percent lower than a year earlier. At $54.50 per cwt, the September hog price declined $4.50 from August and is $21.20 lower than a year earlier. The September beef cattle price of $139 per cwt is down $9.00 from the previous month and $18.00 lower than September 2014.
Dairy: The index for September, at 87, increased 4.8 percent from the previous month but is 32 percent lower than September a year earlier. The September all milk price of $17.50 per cwt is 80 cents higher than August but is $8.20 below September 2014.
Poultry & egg: At 120, the September index is down 12 percent from August and 9.8 percent below 2014. The September market egg price, at $1.80 per dozen, decreased 58.0 cents from August but is 97.5 cents above September 2014. The September broiler price, at 43.0 cents per pound, is down 4.0 cents from August and 23.0 cents below a year earlier. At 92.5 cents per pound, the September turkey price is up 2.8 cents from the previous month and 15.0 cents higher than 2014.