No. 236 May 1,  1945
INDIANA
CROPS AND LIVESTOCK
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
COOPERATING WITH
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION                                                                                                                                                                              DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS                                                                                                                                                                  WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA                                                                                                                                                                                                  INDIANA    
The May 1 condition indicated a yield for Indiana winter wheat of 20.5 bushels per acre
remaining for harvest. Production is forecast at 33,456,000 bushels. The increase of
about seven million bushels over last year is due to increased acreage, but the six million
increase over the 1934-43 average is mostly due to the higher than average yield.
Abandonment amounted to two percent of the seeded acreage leaving 1,632,000 acres
for harvest. Most acreage loss was attributed to standing water and flooding, since winter
exposure damage was slight.
Condition is rather uniformly high over the state. The slight lowering the past month
reflects the more than average precipitation, and temperatures below those needed to promote rapid nitrification. Some paling of color toward yellowing was noticeable throughout the state.
It now appears that 130,000 acres of rye will be harvested for grain. This is about an
average acreage, though sharply larger than the 90,000 acres of 1944. Condition is very
high indicating 14.0 bushels per acre, and production of 1,820,000 bushels.
There are 310,000 tons of hay on farms. Last year stocks were 297,000 tons and the
average 1934-43 is 346,000. Heavy rains and high temperatures in March and early April
caused early growth of pastures and hay crops. This lowered feeding requirements permitting average stocks of hay even though cattle numbers are very high. The condition
of hay is 91 percent of normal, the highest in 20 years, and 13 points above average. The
condition of pasture reported at 93 is 16 points above average, and also the highest for
the date in 20 years.
Crop correspondents report 105 laying hens per farm where last year there were 113.
Eggs per 100 hens May 1 were 61.8 a decline from last month where the usual change is
an increase. Egg production for April is estimated at 249 million compared with 255
million last year. Production of eggs for the first four months was 797 million this year
and 875 million last year.
Crop reporters on May 1 were milking 73.7 percent of their cows. This is a return to
average from the 70.9 percent of last year. The increased percentage of cows milked and
favorable feed conditions made the production per cow in herd 17.4 pounds, the highest
on record and 1.8 pounds above the 1934-43 average. Milk production in April was
308 million pounds in 1945, and 272 million pounds in 1944. For the first four months milk
production was 1,107 million pounds this year, and 1,051 million last year.
UNITED STATES
Prospects for 1945 crop production as of May 1 were not quite as bright as a month
earlier but promise, from a near-record intended acreage, a total output that would compare rather favorably with the excellent showings of the last 3 years. Fruit, early vegetables and gardens in many areas were dealt a severe blow, and some other crops were set
back, by the widespread freezing temperature during the first week of April and by
repeated frosts during the month. Excessive rains and floods caused some crop damage
and loss of acreage, while cool weather retarded plant growth and, in a few localities,
restricted germination of spring sown grains. Nevertheless, above normal rainfall over
most of the country built up moisture reserves for the coming growing season. With few
local exceptions, there are no large areas with deficit moisture supplies.
Here and there, delays have been experienced and cropping plans have been changed
out in the aggregate, progress to May 1 was mostly satisfactory—except, of course, in