Cr Pr 2-3 (1-10)

Winter Wheat 

Seedings

Washington, D.C.

Released January 12, 2010, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture. For information on Winter Wheat Seedings call Nick Schauer at (202) 720-8068, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.

Special Note

NASS is in the process of modifying report layouts in order to improve readability. This report issue is 

published using both layouts but all future issues will only be produced with the new layout, which is 

available on the NASS website: www.nass.usda.gov. This is the last issue using this layout.

Planted Acres Down 14 Percent

Winter wheat seeded area for 2010 is expected to total 37.1 million acres, down 14 percent from 2009. 

Approximate class acreage breakdowns are: Hard Red Winter, 27.8 million; Soft Red Winter, 

5.92 million; and White Winter, 3.33 million.

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2008-2010

(Domestic Units)

Item

Crop Year 2010

as a percent

of 2009 2008 2009 2010

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

Winter

 Wheat 46,307 43,311 37,097 86

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2008-2010

(Metric Units)

Item

Crop Year 2010

as a percent

of 2009 2008 2009 2010

Hectares Hectares Hectares Percent

Winter

 Wheat 18,739,980 17,527,530 15,012,780 86
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2010 2 NASS, USDA

Winter Wheat: Planted area for harvest in 2010 is estimated at 37.1 million acres, down 14 percent 

from 2009 and the lowest since 1913. Seeding began last August and by mid-September was behind the 

5-year average. The late row crop harvest and wet weather delayed planting in most States. The winter 

wheat crop condition at the end of November was rated 64 percent good to excellent compared with 

65 percent the previous year.

Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat seeded area is about 27.8 million acres, down 12 percent from 2009. 

Poor weather, low prices, and the late row crop harvest contributed to the decrease. Acreage is expected 

to be below last year=s level in most States in the HRW growing area, with a record low in Nebraska. 

The largest acreage decreases are in Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Winter wheat seeded in 

Kansas is down 700,000 acres, 8 percent below 2009 and the lowest planted acres since 1957. Montana 

is down 550,000 acres, 22 percent below 2009 and the third largest decrease on record. Winter wheat in 

Oklahoma is expected to be down 500,000 acres, the lowest acreage since 1971. Acreage in Texas is 

down 1.00 million acres, the fourth largest decrease on record and lowest planted area since 1973. 

Soft Red Winter (SRW) wheat seeded area is about 5.92 million acres, down 29 percent from last year. 

Large acreage decreases from last year occurred in all SRW growing States due to the late row crop 

harvest, heavy rains, and wet soil conditions. Record low acreages are expected in Illinois, Indiana, 

Missouri, and Ohio. The largest acreage decreases are in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio. 

Winter wheat in Arkansas is down 230,000 acres, 53 percent below 2009. Illinois is down 500,000 

acres, 59 percent below last year. Acreage seeded in Missouri is down 360,000 acres, a 46 percent drop 

from 2009. Ohio is down 210,000 acres, down 21 percent from 2009.

White Winter wheat seeded area totals nearly 3.33 million acres, down 1 percent from 2009. Planted 

acreage in the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) is up from last year. Winter wheat 

planted area is up 40,000 acres from 2009 in Idaho, up 50,000 in Oregon, and unchanged in 

Washington. Seeding began ahead of normal in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. By November 8, 

virtually all fields had been seeded in the region with 90 percent of the acreage emerged in Washington, 

81 percent in Idaho, and 67 percent in Oregon.

Durum Wheat: Seedings in Arizona and California for 2010 harvest are estimated at 205,000 acres, 

down 33 percent from the 2009 level. Planted acreage is down 35,000 in Arizona and down 65,000 in 

California. Planting is ongoing in California's San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys. No major problems 

with the crop have been reported.

This report was approved on January 12, 2010.

Acting Secretary of

Agriculture

Kathleen A. Merrigan

Agricultural Statistics Board

Chairperson

Carol C. House
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2010 3 NASS, USDA

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2008-2010

State

Crop Year 2010

as Pct. of

2009 2008 2009 2010

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

240

9

1,070

680

2,150

80

25

480

850

1,200

580

40

9,600

580

400

255

730

75

520

1,250

2,600

1,750

12

35

430

130

820

630

1,120

5,600

780

195

220

2,050

620

5,800

130

310

1,750

11

350

150

46,307

220

7

430

590

2,600

70

17

340

740

850

470

28

9,300

510

185

230

620

55

180

780

2,550

1,700

16

34

450

115

700

580

1,010

5,700

760

190

165

1,700

430

6,400

140

250

1,700

9

335

155

43,311

180

7

200

505

2,400

55

16

200

780

350

300

15

8,600

450

140

210

500

70

120

420

2,000

1,500

10

27

480

110

600

340

800

5,200

810

170

150

1,250

290

5,400

130

200

1,700

7

250

155

37,097

82

100

47

86

92

79

94

59

105

41

64

54

92

88

76

91

81

127

67

54

78

88

63

79

107

96

86

59

79

91

107

89

91

74

67

84

93

80

100

78

75

100

86
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2010 4 NASS, USDA

Durum Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2008-2010

State

Crop Year 2010

as Pct. of

2009 2008 2009 2010 1

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

AZ

CA

ID

MT

ND

SD

US

150

160

10

590

1,800

11

2,721

125

180

20

570

1,650

9

2,554

90

115

72

64

1

Indicated 2010 area seeded for all six States will be published in "Prospective Plantings" released March 31, 2010.
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