No. 229  October 1, 1944
INDIANA
CROPS AND LIVESTOCK
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
COOPERATING WITH  
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL STATlSTICS
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
INDIANA
Indiana corn prospects improved somewhat in Septerhber ^-ftd^ the exnp^*cgd yifeld per
acre reported October 1 is 37 bushels. Production is now r*s^ca6^rt**"HXMB|00o bushels.
Danger of frost damage practically passed with September actTr^hfe^ftn^^ate August
benefitted corn more than seemed likely a month ago. ~ *
No changes in yields or production of oats and barley are reported as a result of the
completion of threshing.
The supply of feed in the state was improved by the recovery of pastures after the
rains around September 1, shown by the rise of the reported condition from 43 to 62
percent of normal. Late hay crops except alfalfa are also reported better than expected a
month ago. The yield per acre of soybean hay is estimated as 1.15 tons. Cowpea hay yield
is 1.05 tons per acre and lespedeza hay .85 tons. The season yield of alfalfa hay is 1.55
tons per acre, since the second cutting was light because of deficient midsummer rainfall.
The yield of clover and timothy hay at 1.20 tons conforms to earlier expectations.
Soybeans for beans are reported at 16.0 bushels per acre or one bushel higher than indications a month ago.  Cowpeas at 7.5 bushels per acre are better than expected earlier.
Stocks of grain on farms October 1 included 13,103,000 bushels of corn, 8,553,000 bushels
of wheat, 24,059,000 bushels of oats and 406,000 bushels of soybeans. The first three are
below average in spite of large supplies last year indicating heavy feeding uses.
Production of all tree fruits is reported larger than expected a month ago. Production
of apples in commercial counties estimated as 1,340,000 bushels is up 48,000. Pears
promising 154,000 bushels are up 2,000. Grapes are now estimated as 2,600 tons or 300
higher. Peaches reported at 71 percent of a full crop amounted to 674,000 bushels, or
28,000 bushels more than last month. High prices have resulted in close picking of all
fruits.
The condition of potatoes and sweet potatoes is reported higher than last month indicating ten bushels gain in yield for each. The yield of potatoes is now indicated as 80 bushels
per acre and sweet potatoes as 100 bushels.
Crop reporters indicate 800,000 cows were milked through September producing 384
pounds each for a total of 307 million pounds of milk. Grain fed per cow in herd averaged
4.3 pounds or 18 percent more than last year.
The estimate of laying hens in September is 10,625,000 which produced 1,071 eggs per
hundred hens or a total of 114 million eggs. Both number and rate of lay are lower than
last year with production down five percent. Layers for this winter are 12 percent less
than a year ago.
UNITED STATES
Improved growing conditions during recent weeks and favorable weather for the
maturing of late crops have offset the handicap of late planting. Crop yields per acre
higher than in any past year except 1942 are being harvested from an acreage above that
harvested in any year since 1932, and only two percent below the predrought peak. In addition to bumper crops of wheat, grain sorghums, and possibly of rice, it now appears that
the corn crop will be the largest ever produced and the total production of all grains seems
likely to equal the record tonnage of two years ago. Reports on crops harvested or in
prospect on October 1 indicate record crops of fruits, commercial vegetables, peanuts,
and tree nuts and a tobacco crop approaching the high record set in 1939. Hay, beans, peas,
soybeans, flaxseed, potatoes and sweetpotatoes show totals below production in some recent seasons but are at levels not often reached in prewar years. Cotton production will be
nearly average, with a record high yield per acre offsetting the reduction in. acreage.
Total production of the important seed crops will exceed the relatively short crops of the
past two years and supplies of most kinds appear adequate for domestic needs. The only
important field crops that will be materially below average in production this season are
jye, which was extensively replaced by wheat, and sugar beets which had to be reduced
because of the high labor requirements. The production of livestock and livestock products this year will also be higher than in any past year except 1943 and probably 12
Percent higher than in any year prior to 1940.