Cr Pr 2-3 (1-05)

Washington, D.C.

Winter Wheat

Seedings

Released January 12, 2005, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S.

Department of Agriculture. For information on Winter Wheat Seedings call Lance Honig at (202) 720-8068, office hours 7:00

a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET.

Planted Acres Down 4 Percent

Winter wheat seeded area for 2005 is expected to total 41.6 million acres, down 4 percent from

2004. Approximate class acreage breakdowns are: Hard Red Winter, 30.5 million; Soft Red

Winter, 6.6 million; and White Winter, 4.5 million.

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2003-2005

(Domestic Units)

Item

Crop Year 2005

as Pct. of

2003 2004 2005 2004

1,000 Acres 1,000 Acres 1,000 Acres Percent

Winter

 Wheat 45,384 43,350 41,567 96

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2003-2005

(Metric Units)

Item

Crop Year 2005

as Pct. of

2003 2004 2005 2004

Hectares Hectares Hectares Percent

Winter

 Wheat 18,366,450 17,543,310 16,821,750 96
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2005 2 NASS, USDA

Winter Wheat: Planted area for harvest in 2005 is estimated at 41.6 million acres. This is down

4 percent from 2004. Seeding began last August and advanced ahead of the 5-year average pace

until the middle of October, when wet weather slowed progress. Nearly all of the U.S. acreage was

seeded by December 1. Most remaining intended area is in the Southeast and California. Although

frequent rainfall hampered seeding progress in many areas, the precipitation was beneficial and

contributed to record high condition ratings throughout much of the fall.

Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat seeded area is about 30.5 million acres, down 1 percent from 2004. 

Acreage changes from last year are mixed across the growing region. Growers in Texas and

Oklahoma planted significantly fewer acres this year, due largely to wet fall weather. Late cotton

harvest and high cattle prices also contributed to the declines. Conversely, large acreage increases

occurred in Colorado and Montana, where seeding conditions and moisture supplies were

supportive.

Soft Red Winter (SRW) area, at about 6.6 million acres, is down 19 percent from last year. Large

acreage declines are recorded in most SRW growing States. Wet fall conditions prevented

operators from planting all of the acreage that they normally would across much of the region. 

Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia, and New Jersey are all at record low levels.

White Winter wheat seeded area totals about 4.5 million acres, up 4 percent from 2004. Farmers in

all three Pacific Northwest States (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) took advantage of good seeding

conditions and adequate soil moisture and planted more acres than a year ago. 

Durum Wheat: Seedings in Arizona and California for 2005 harvest are estimated at

210,000 acres. This total is down 5 percent from their final 2004 acreage. Planting is ongoing in

California’s San Jaoquin and Imperial Valleys. No major problems with the crop have been

reported.

This report was approved on January 12, 2005.

Secretary of

Agriculture

Ann M. Veneman

Agricultural Statistics Board

Chairperson

Rich Allen
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2005 3 NASS, USDA

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2003-2005

State

Crop Year 2005

as Pct. of

2003 2004 2005 2004

1,000 Acres 1,000 Acres 1,000 Acres Percent

AL

AZ

AR

CA

CO

DE

FL

GA

ID

IL

IN

IA

KS

KY

LA

MD

MI

MN

MS

MO

MT

NE

NV

NJ

NM

NY

NC

ND

OH

OK

OR

PA

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT

VA

WA

WV

WI

WY

US

150

4

700

740

2,600

50

20

380

760

850

460

25

10,500

500

155

165

680

25

150

960

1,900

1,900

7

31

500

130

530

130

1,060

6,700

970

175

200

1,650

430

6,600

160

210

1,850

12

205

160

45,384

120

5

670

560

2,300

50

18

330

750

920

450

28

10,000

530

180

160

660

27

160

1,050

1,900

1,850

6

28

490

105

600

245

920

6,200

820

140

190

1,650

400

6,300

130

210

1,800

8

240

150

43,350

120

5

240

500

2,650

50

20

290

770

650

360

25

10,100

460

130

150

650

20

110

700

2,150

1,850

7

28

490

120

580

260

840

5,800

870

180

180

1,500

290

5,800

135

220

1,900

7

200

160

41,567

100

100

36

89

115

100

111

88

103

71

80

89

101

87

72

94

98

74

69

67

113

100

117

100

100

114

97

106

91

94

106

129

95

91

73

92

104

105

106

88

83

107

96
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2005 4 NASS, USDA

Durum Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2003-2005

State

Crop Year 2005

as Pct. of

2003 2004 2005 2004 1

1,000 Acres 1,000 Acres 1,000 Acres Percent

AZ

CA

ID 2

MN 3

MT

ND

SD

US

115

130

2

640

2,000

28

2,915

100

120

1

570

1,750

20

2,561

100

110

100

92

 1 Indicated 2005 area seeded for all six states will be published in "Prospective Plantings" released March 31, 2005. 2 Estimates began in 2005. 3 Estimates discontinued in 2005.
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Science, Markets, Policy–What’s Ahead?

Count on USDA’s Outlook Forum 2005 for the

latest farm and commodity prospects and insight

on news shaping the outlook for agriculture. 

Outlook sessions will feature USDA’s first 2005

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speakers on market developments.

The program will feature the science-agriculture

connection. Today as never before, science is crossing

paths with farming, farm policy and the marketplace.

Topics include managing risks from BSE and Avian

Influenza; prospects for energy prices, ethanol and

co-products; early debate over the next Farm Bill; new

dietary guidelines; the future of the North American

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