Cr Pr 2-3 (1-03)

Washington, D.C.

Winter Wheat

Seedings

Released January 10, 2003, 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 Largest Since 1998

Winter wheat seeded area for 2003 is expected to total 44.2 million acres, up 6 percent from 2002.

This is the largest area since 1998. Approximate class acreage breakdowns are: Hard Red Winter,

32.1 million; Soft Red Winter, 8.2 million; and White Winter, 3.9 million.

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2001-2003

(Domestic Units)

Item

Crop Year 2003

as Pct. of

2001 2002 2003 2002

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

Winter

 Wheat 41,078 41,735 44,246 106

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2001-2003

(Metric Units)

Item

Crop Year 2003

as Pct. of

2001 2002 2003 2002

Hectares Hectares Hectares Percent

Winter

 Wheat 16,623,860 16,889,740 17,905,910 106
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2003 2 NASS, USDA

Winter Wheat: Planted area for harvest in 2003 is estimated at 44.2 million acres. This is up

6 percent from 2002 and is the largest acreage since 1998. Seeding began last August and advanced

ahead of the 5-year average pace throughout the fall. Nearly all of the U.S. acreage was seeded by

December 1. Most remaining intended area is in the Southeast and California. Seeding should

finish sometime next month in California. 

Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat seeded area is about 32.1 million acres, up 8 percent from 2002. 

Significant acreage increases are reported in all major HRW States. Two major factors, high prices

at the time of seeding and last year’s drought, contributed to the larger acreage. Prices were very

strong this fall, especially during September and October when most of the winter wheat was

planted. Last year’s drought left soil moisture supplies low. Wheat requires less moisture than

many alternate crops in the major HRW States, making it a more appealing option. Additionally,

the drought left forage supplies limited, therefore many growers in the southern Great Plains planted

wheat in hopes that enough moisture would be received to provide grazing.

Soft Red Winter area, at about 8.2 million acres, is down 1 percent from last year. Large acreage

declines are noted in the Delta States, most Southeast States, and along the northern Atlantic Coast,

due primarily to excessively wet conditions during the fall. Planted acreage increased significantly

in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, where seeding conditions were good. Seeded acres also

increased sharply in Georgia where growers continue to plant additional wheat in place of rye as a

cover crop. Wisconsin growers planted a record high acreage.

White Winter wheat seeded area totals about 3.9 million acres, up 9 percent from 2002. Dry

conditions prevailed across the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) during planting. 

Seeding progress was generally faster than average, however the dry soil conditions delayed

emergence. Rising prices during planting contributed to the larger acreage.

Durum Wheat: Seedings in Arizona and California for 2003 harvest are estimated at

178,000 acres. This total is down 3 percent from their final 2002 acreage. Seedings in California’s

San Joaquin Valley progressed rapidly during October and November. Planting began in the

Imperial Valley in late November and will continue into March as the winter vegetable harvest is

completed.

This report was approved on January 10, 2003.

Acting Secretary of

Agriculture

James R. Moseley

Agricultural Statistics Board

Chairperson

Rich Allen
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2003 3 NASS, USDA

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2001-2003

State

Crop Year 2003

as Pct. of

2001 2002 2003 2002

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

170

6

1,100

530

2,350

60

10

300

760

750

400

25

9,800

550

175

190

570

15

250

900

1,300

1,750

9

31

500

125

680

150

950

5,600

750

170

220

1,300

500

5,600

140

200

1,850

12

170

160

41,078

150

10

960

530

2,350

60

9

350

730

680

350

20

9,600

550

230

195

500

35

250

900

1,450

1,650

6

38

520

130

650

80

860

6,000

800

190

210

1,300

470

6,400

140

230

1,800

12

190

150

41,735

150

7

760

580

2,600

55

20

380

760

800

450

20

10,300

500

200

150

680

25

150

880

1,750

1,700

6

31

480

125

550

130

1,000

6,500

950

175

210

1,500

460

6,600

155

210

1,850

12

205

180

44,246

100

70

79

109

111

92

222

109

104

118

129

100

107

91

87

77

136

71

60

98

121

103

100

82

92

96

85

163

116

108

119

92

100

115

98

103

111

91

103

100

108

120

106
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2003 4 NASS, USDA

Durum Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2001-2003

State

Crop Year 2003

as Pct. of

2001 2002 2003 2002 1

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

AZ

CA

MN

MT

ND

SD

US

88

85

2

510

2,200

25

2,910

89

95

5

590

2,100

30

2,909

83

95

93

100

 1 Indicated 2003 area seeded for all six states will be published in "Prospective Plantings" released March 31, 2003.
The next "Winter Wheat Seedings" report will be released in January 2004.

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