Virginia farmers expect to harvest 9.45 million bushels of winter wheat during 2022 according to the Virginia Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The expected crop for 2022 would be up 18%
from the previous year. Farmers seeded 250,000 acres last fall with 150,000 acres to be harvested for grain. Based on crop conditions as of May 1 and assuming a normal growing season, farmers expect a yield of 63.0
bushels per acre, down 4.0 bushels from 2021. Acres for other uses totaled 100,000 acres and will be used as cover crop or cut as silage or hay.
As of May 8, winter wheat overall was in mostly good condition with farmers currently planting crops and cutting hay. Seventy four percent of the crop was headed compared to 62% at this time last year and 69% for
the five-year average. Winter wheat production for the Nation was forecast at 1.17 billion bushels, down 8% from 2021. The expected area to be harvested for grain or seed totals 24.5 million acres, down 4% from last year. As of May 1, the U.S.
yield was forecast at 47.9 bushels per acre, down 2.3 bushels from last year. As of May 1, Virginia on-farm hay stocks totaled 280,000 tons, down 200,000 tons from May 1, 2021 stocks.
Farmers have used 84% of their hay stocks since December 1, 2021. U. S. hay stocks were at 16.8 million tons, down 1.24 million tons from 2021.
Herman Ellison
State Statistician
