A review of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS) recent planted acres report shows that winter wheat
seeded area for 2009 is expected to total 42.1 million acres,
down 9% from 2008. NASS estimates hard red winter plantings at
30.2 million acres, down 4% from 2008; soft red winter plantings
at about 8.29 million acres, down 26% from 2008; and white
winter at about 3.62 million acres, up 1% from 2008. NASS cited
wet weather, delayed row-crop harvest and falling prices as
reasons for the decline. Also, the latest World Agricultural
Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report projected U.S. wheat
ending stocks for 2008-2009 would be up 32 million bushels due
to lower projected domestic use for feed and residuals and seed.
The report’s range of the projected season-average farm price
was reduced to $6.50-6.90/bu. The full seedings report is
accessible at: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu.