Cr Pr 2-3 (1-01)

Washington, D.C.

Winter Wheat

Seedings

Released January 11, 2001, 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 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.

Planted Acres Lowest Since 1971

Winter wheat seeded area for 2001 is expected to total 41.3 million acres, down 5 percent from 2000. This is

the smallest area since 1971. Class acreage breakdowns are approximately: Hard Red Winter, 28.9 million; 

Soft Red Winter, 8.9 million; White Winter, 3.5 million.

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 1999-2001

(Domestic Units)

Item

Crop Year 2001

as Pct. of

1999 2000 2001 2000

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

Winter

 Wheat 43,331 43,348 41,309 95

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 1999-2001

(Metric Units)

Item

Crop Year 2001

as Pct. of

1999 2000 2001 2000

Hectares Hectares Hectares Percent

Winter

 Wheat 17,535,622 17,542,502 16,717,339 95
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2001 2 NASS, USDA

Winter Wheat: Planted area for harvest in 2001 is estimated at 41.3 million acres. This is down 5 percent

from 2000 and is the lowest level since 1971. Seeding started last August in the Pacific Northwest, some

Mountain States, and Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Texas. Progress was slow across most of the U.S. due

primarily to dry soil conditions. Seeding should finish sometime during February in California. About

98 percent of the U.S. acreage was seeded by December 1. Most remaining intended area is in the Southeast,

California, Oklahoma, and Texas. 

Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat seeded area is about 28.9 million acres, down 5 percent from 2000. 

Oklahoma and Texas led the decline, down 700,000 and 400,000 acres, respectively. Colorado and Montana

also showed large decreases. Dry conditions have been the leading cause of the lower acreage, leading to

delayed seeding progress and even slower emergence. In Texas and Oklahoma, the dry conditions were

followed by excessive rainfall which further hindered progress. Emergence is a month behind the 5-year

average in Oklahoma causing concern for cattlemen hoping to have wheat pasture for grazing cattle. Kansas

and Nebraska are the most notable States expecting to plant more acres than last year. Emergence was

significantly behind average in Kansas until mid-November. In Nebraska, moisture supplies were very short

to short during planting, but improved as planting neared completion. The Colorado crop is short and poorly

rooted leaving it vulnerable to blow out and shallow snow cover. The summer drought in Montana continued

into the fall causing many farmers to reduce their planted acreage.

Soft Red Winter (SRW) area is down 6 percent from last year, at about 8.9 million acres. Nearly all SRW

States have planted less wheat this year. Alabama, Georgia, and Wisconsin are the only States planting more

acres this year. Alabama growers expect to utilize more wheat acres for cattle grazing this winter as hay

supplies are short. Arkansas, Indiana, and South Carolina have planted acreage equal to last year’s levels. In

contrast to most of the HRW area, excessive soil moisture this past fall in southern Illinois was the cause of

slowed planting progress. Wheat farmers in Indiana had an ideal fall season for seeding winter wheat. Dry

conditions across most of the Southeast hampered seeding.

White Winter wheat seeded area totals about 3.5 million acres, down fractionally from 2000. In Idaho, above

normal moisture in October was followed by a cold, dry November. Winter wheat seedings ran slightly ahead

of normal for most of the State. Weather conditions were good for seeding wheat in Oregon. The

Washington winter wheat season was off to a slow start, however stands look very good with the majority of

the crop in good condition. 

Durum Wheat: Seedings in Arizona and California for 2001 harvest are placed at 160,000 acres. This total

is down 14 percent from their final 2000 planting. Seeding in California’s San Joaquin Valley progressed

rapidly during October and November. Below normal precipitation has forced growers to irrigate earlier than

usual. Seeding began in the Imperial Valley in late November and will continue into March as the winter

vegetable harvest finishes.

This report was approved on January 11, 2001.

Secretary of

Agriculture

Dan Glickman

Agricultural Statistics Board

Chairperson

Frederic A. Vogel
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2001 3 NASS, USDA

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 1999-2001

State

Crop Year 2001

as Pct. of

1999 2000 2001 2000

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

140

11

970

500

2,600

75

16

300

760

1,050

550

40

10,000

650

110

215

610

40

180

980

1,050

1,900

11

42

445

130

650

60

1,050

6,400

710

195

225

1,300

500

6,200

150

280

1,900

11

125

200

43,331

140

7

1,180

500

2,500

65

13

300

780

950

550

20

9,800

670

200

220

530

20

250

1,050

1,500

1,750

10

40

470

150

720

120

1,120

6,100

750

200

190

1,350

550

6,000

150

240

1,850

13

140

190

43,348

160

7

1,180

450

2,300

60

10

330

760

850

550

25

9,900

600

160

190

570

20

230

900

1,200

1,800

9

31

470

125

650

170

1,010

5,400

770

180

190

1,350

520

5,600

150

230

1,850

12

170

170

41,309

114

100

100

90

92

92

77

110

97

89

100

125

101

90

80

86

108

100

92

86

80

103

90

78

100

83

90

142

90

89

103

90

100

100

95

93

100

96

100

92

121

89

95
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2001 4 NASS, USDA

Durum Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 1999-2001

State

Crop Year 2001

as Pct. of

1999 2000 2001 2000 1

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

AZ

CA

MN

MT

ND

SD

US

75

90

5

360

3,450

55

4,035

85

100

2

480

3,250

20

3,937

80

80

94

80

 1 Indicated 2001 area seeded for all six states will be published in "Prospective Plantings" released March 30, 2001.
The next "Winter Wheat Seedings" report will be released in January 2002.

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Agricultural

Outlook

Forum

2001

USDA's 77th outlook conference will offer timely forecasts of

farm prospects and insight on developments affecting the farm

economy. The program will feature top business leaders and

officials. Networking opportunities abound at this popular event,

attended by over 1,300 people last February.

Policy Debate. Future farm policy will be a hot topic during 2001.

The Forum will open with high-level panels on the next farm bill

and world trade talks. Focus sessions during the two-day 

program will preview key policy issues on next year’s agenda.

Farm Prospects. Attendees will hear leading analysts discuss the

2001 commodity outlook and industry trends, and receive USDA’s

latest 10-year projections.

Act Now. Get registration details and program updates at the

Forum website. Can’t attend in person? Sign up now to get

speeches by e-mail after the Forum, or download them from

the website. 

February 22-23, 2001

Arlington, Virginia

www.usda.gov/oce

agforum@oce.usda.gov

(202) 720-3050