The USDA-NASS, Pacific Regional Office released the October crop production forecast. The latest survey, which was conducted during the last week of September and the first week of October, included the following commodities:
Cotton – In California, Upland cotton forecast is 235 thousand bales, up 42 percent from last year. Pima cotton in California forecast is 484 thousand bales with 153 thousand acres, the resulting yield is 1,518 pounds per acre. At of the beginning of October, cotton fields were in the final stages of harvest preparation.
Oranges – The 2016-17 California orange crop forecast is 50.5 million boxes. California’s Navel orange forecast is 42.0 million boxes. Harvest is expected to begin in late October or early November. California’s Valencia orange forecast is 8.50 million boxes.
Others Crops – The grapefruit forecast is 4.00 million boxes; lemon forecast is 21.0 million boxes; tangerine and mandarin forecast is 23.0 million boxes; pecan production forecast is 5.0 million pounds. The corn for grain production forecast is 13.5 million bushels, up 43 percent from 2015; alfalfa hay production forecast is 6.09 million tons, up 12 percent from 2015; other hay production is projected at 1.45 million tons, up 9 percent; dry edible bean production is expected to be 1.11 million cwt. in California, up 8 percent; the rice crop forecast is 49.8 million cwt., up 33 percent; sunflower forecast is 65.1 million pounds, up 46 percent and from last year; spring potato production forecast is 9.79 million cwt, down 5 percent from 2015; and sugarbeet forecast is 1.11 million tons, up 2 percent from 2015.
The Nevada alfalfa hay production forecast is 1.06 million tons, up 23 from 2015.
The Hawaii sugarcane production forecast is 1.37 million tons, up 3 percent from the previous year, and unchanged from the September forecast.
Production forecasts are released on a monthly basis and do not reflect final production estimates. Late summer and fall harvests may change these estimates considerably. The next production forecast will be issued November 9, 2016.