Cr Pr 2-3 (1-04)

Washington, D.C.

Winter Wheat

Seedings

Released January 12, 2004, 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 3 Percent

Winter wheat seeded area for 2004 is expected to total 43.5 million acres, down 3 percent from

2003. Approximate class acreage breakdowns are: Hard Red Winter, 31.0 million; Soft Red

Winter, 8.3 million; and White Winter, 4.2 million.

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2002-2004

(Domestic Units)

Item

Crop Year 2004

as Pct. of

2002 2003 2004 2003

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

Winter

 Wheat 41,845 44,945 43,464 97

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, United States, 2002-2004

(Metric Units)

Item

Crop Year 2004

as Pct. of

2002 2003 2004 2003

Hectares Hectares Hectares Percent

Winter

 Wheat 16,934,250 18,188,790 17,589,450 97
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2004 2 NASS, USDA

Winter Wheat: Planted area for harvest in 2004 is estimated at 43.5 million acres. This is down

3 percent from 2003. 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 31.0 million acres, down 4 percent from 2003. 

Acreage declines are reported in the southern Great Plains States, where moisture supplies remain

low. The Texas High Plains only received 54 percent of normal rainfall during August, September,

and October. As of November 30 in Kansas, 65 percent of the topsoil moisture was rated short to

very short, and 69 percent of the subsoil moisture fell into that category. Germination rates in

Colorado were below normal as the crop headed into dormancy. Nebraska planted acreage is

unchanged from 2003 where crop condition ratings at the end of November were only slightly better

than a year earlier. Growers in the Dakotas and Montana seeded more winter wheat than a year ago

even though moisture is also short there. Emergence problems and lack of snow cover left growers

concerned about the winter-hardiness of the crop.

Soft Red Winter (SRW) area, at about 8.3 million acres, is up slightly from last year. Several

factors contributed to significant acreage increases in Missouri and Illinois, including record high

yields last year, good prices, and some disappointment with alternative crop yields. North Carolina

growers also planted substantially more wheat this fall, rebounding from last year’s well below

normal level. Most remaining SRW States planted fewer acres than last year, most notably Ohio.

White Winter wheat seeded area totals about 4.2 million acres, down 7 percent from 2003. Dry

conditions across the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) hampered emergence and

in many cases resulted in less than ideal stands. Acreage is down is all 3 States largely due to the

lack of soil moisture. Some early planted fields in Washington were reseeded due to crusting.

Durum Wheat: Seedings in Arizona and California for 2004 harvest are estimated at

180,000 acres. This total is down 27 percent from their final 2003 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, 2004.

Acting Secretary of

Agriculture

James R. Moseley

Agricultural Statistics Board

Chairperson

Rich Allen
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2004 3 NASS, USDA

Winter Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2002-2004

State

Crop Year 2004

as Pct. of

2002 2003 2004 2003

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

10

960

530

2,350

60

19

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

6,100

800

190

210

1,300

470

6,400

140

230

1,800

12

190

150

41,845

150

4

700

675

2,600

50

20

380

760

850

460

21

10,400

480

155

165

680

25

150

960

1,800

1,900

7

31

500

130

530

130

1,060

6,600

970

175

200

1,600

430

6,600

160

210

1,850

12

205

160

44,945

120

6

680

600

2,300

45

20

350

720

1,000

430

20

9,900

480

190

170

600

20

190

1,050

1,850

1,900

6

24

470

100

650

240

900

6,400

900

140

195

1,700

400

6,200

150

200

1,750

8

240

150

43,464

80

150

97

89

88

90

100

92

95

118

93

95

95

100

123

103

88

80

127

109

103

100

86

77

94

77

123

185

85

97

93

80

98

106

93

94

94

95

95

67

117

94

97
Winter Wheat Seedings Agricultural Statistics Board

January 2004 4 NASS, USDA

Durum Wheat: Area Seeded, by State and United States, 2002-2004

State

Crop Year 2004

as Pct. of

2002 2003 2004 2003 1

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

AZ

CA

MN

MT

ND

SD

US

89

95

5

590

2,100

30

2,909

115

130

2

640

2,000

28

2,915

100

80

87

62

 1 Indicated 2004 area seeded for all six states will be published in "Prospective Plantings" released March 31, 2004.
The next "Winter Wheat Seedings" report will be released in January 2005.

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Ensuring a Healthy Food Supply

February 19-20, 2004

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