NASS Colorado Acreage Report

ACREAGE – JUNE 2019

COLORADO HIGHLIGHTS

Colorado principal crop planted acreage, which includes acres planted to all major crops and those expected to be cut for all hay, is up less than one-half percent from 2018 to 6.18 million acres, according to the June 1 Agricultural Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.

Colorado corn producers planted 1.47 million acres of corn this year of which they intend to harvest 1.20 million acres for grain in 2018. This is no change from last years planted acreage for all purposes and harvested grain acreage.

Sorghum plantings, at 350,000 acres, are down 1 percent from the previous year and acreage expected to be harvested for grain, at 310,000 acres, decreased 5 percent
from 2018.

Barley planted area, at 80,000 acres, is 38 percent more than last year’s acreage. Expected harvested acres, at 77,000 acres, are 48 percent above 2018.

Winter wheat producers planted 2.30 million acres in the fall of 2018 for harvest in 2019, up from 2.25 million acres planted for the previous year’s crop. Acreage expected to be harvested for grain is up 200,000 acres from last year to 2.15 million acres.

Proso millet seedings are expected to total 310,000 acres this year, up 3 percent from 2018.

The area to be harvested for hay is expected to increase 40,000 acres from a year ago to 1.46 million acres. Alfalfa hay harvested acreage is expected to be unchanged from last year at 730,000 acres and all other hay harvested acreage is expected to increase 40,000 acres to 730,000 acres.

All sunflower planted area, at 87,000 acres, is 21,000 acres above last year. Oil type varieties totaled 70,000 acres, up 12,000 acres from 2018 while non-oil type varieties are set at 17,000 acres, up 9,000 acres from last year. Harvested acres are expected to total 63,000 acres for oil type and 15,000 acres for non-oil.

Sugarbeet plantings decreased 1,000 acres from last year to 25,300 acres. The expected harvested area, at 25,000 acres, is 500 acres below last year. Acres planted to dry beans, at 40,000 acres, are down 5 percent from last year. Harvested acres are expected to total 38,000 acres.

Fall potatoes located in the San Luis Valley showed a 4 percent decrease in planted acres from 51,800 acres last year to 49,500 acres this year. Fall potatoes located outside the San Luis Valley in Colorado (included in Summer Potatoes prior to 2013) totaled 4,500 planted acres, up 1,000 acres last year.

UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS

Corn planted area for all purposes in 2019 is estimated at 91.7 million acres, up 3 percent from last year. Compared with last year, planted acres are up or unchanged in 40 of the 48 estimating States. Area harvested for grain, at 83.6 million acres, is up 2 percent from last year.

Sorghum growers planted 5.13 million acres for all purposes in 2019, down 10 percent from last year. Kansas and Texas, the leading sorghum-producing States, account for 79 percent of the United States acreage. Growers expect to harvest 4.59 million acres for grain, down 9 percent from last year.

Area seeded to oats for the 2019 crop year is estimated at 2.55 million acres, down slightly from 2018 for comparable States. Planted acreage is down or unchanged in 13 of the 23 major producing States compared with last year.

Barley producers seeded 2.86 million acres of barley for the 2019 crop year, up 12 percent from the previous year. Harvested area, forecast at 2.33 million acres, is up 18 percent from 2018.

All wheat planted area for 2019 is estimated at 45.6 million acres, down 5 percent from 2018. This represents the lowest all wheat planted area on record since records began in 1919. The 2019 winter wheat planted area, at 31.8 million acres, is down 2 percent from last year but up 1 percent from the previous estimate. Of this total, about 22.7 million acres are Hard Red Winter, 5.54 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and 3.55 million acres are White Winter. Area planted to other spring wheat for 2019 is estimated at 12.4 million acres, down 6 percent from 2018. Of this total, about 12.0 million acres are Hard Red Spring wheat. Durum planted area for 2019 is estimated at 1.40 million acres, down 32 percent from the previous year.

Area planted to proso millet in 2019 is estimated at 433,000 acres, down 10,000 acres from 2018. Nebraska and South Dakota planted acreage is down from last year, while acreage in Colorado is up.

Producers intend to harvest 52.8 million acres of all hay in 2019, down less than 1 percent from 2018. If realized, this will represent the lowest total hay harvested area since 1908. The decrease in acreage is due to a 1 percent decrease in all other hay (excluding alfalfa) acreage compared to 2018. Acres of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures are expected to be up 1 percent compared with 2018.

Area planted to sunflower in 2019 totals 1.38 million acres, up 6 percent from 2018. Despite the increase from last year, this is the second lowest planted area for the Nation since 1976. Compared with last year, growers in four of the eight major sunflower-producing States increased sunflower acreage this year. Harvested area for sunflower is forecast at 1.32 million acres, an increase of 8 percent from last year. Planted area of oil type varieties, at 1.23 million acres, is up 5 percent from 2018, but is the fourth lowest on record since 1976. Area planted to non-oil varieties, estimated at 155,000 acres, is up 13 percent from last year but is the second lowest on record.

Area planted to sugarbeets for the 2019 crop year is estimated at 1.13 million acres, up 1 percent from 2018. Harvested area is forecast at 1.11 million acres, up 1 percent from last year.

Area planted for dry beans in 2019 is estimated at 1.31 million acres, up 9 percent from 2018 for comparable States. Area harvested is forecast to total 1.26 million acres, also up 9 percent from 2018 for comparable States. Four of the nine estimating States show an increase in total dry bean planted acres from last year.

Area planted to potatoes in 2019 is estimated at 967,500 acres of potatoes, up slightly from 2018 for comparable States. Harvested area is forecast at 959,600 acres, slightly above comparable States from the previous year.

For a full copy of the Acreage report please visit www.nass.usda.gov.