No. 337 October 1, 1953
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 month of September with rainfall far below normal lowered prospective yields of
corn and of soybeans, and cut pasture condition to 51 or 31 points below average.
Production of corn now indicated is 244,058,000 bushels with an average yield of 51.5
bushels per acre. Yields show great variability even within counties. The Southwest
district yields are definitely below average with other districts about average or above.
Stocks of old corn on farms October 1, amounted to 13,506,000 bushels or 73 percent of
last year and 74 percent of the 1942-51 average.
Soybeans are indicated as yielding 22.0 bushels per acre, with production of 37,906,000
bushels. Yields in the Southwest and South Central districts are below avei-age, with
yields in the three northern districts above average. There is an unusually wide variation
in yields. Stocks of old beans at 577,000 bushels are the highest since 1943 when estimates
began. Present stocks are nearly three times recent years.
Wheat stocks on farms of 14,979,000 bushels are 193 percent of last year, and 180
percent of average. Stocks of oats of 34,857,000 are 96 percent of last year and 98 percent
of average. The 408,000 bushels of barley on hand is 137 percent of last year and 122
percent of average. The 294,000 bushels of rye is 128 percent of last year, and 93 percent
of average.
The total hay crop of 2,525,000 tons is one percent above last year, though one percent
below average. Included there are 876,000 tons of alfalfa hay and 1,336,000 tons of
clover and timothy hay.
Potatoes are unchanged from last month at 2,860,000 bushels, or 13 percent above last
year. Tobacco is little changed from last month at 13,820,000 pounds, which is 11 percent
below last year.
The dry weather limited sizing of fruits so production forecasts are somewhat lower
for each species. The 1,349,000 bushels of apples now indicated in commercial counties is
126 percent of last year but 98 percent of average. The 434,000 bushels of peaches is 92
percent of last year and 98 percent of average. Pears at 82,000 bushels are slightly above
last year though only 67 percent of average. Grapes at 800 tons are three-fourths of
last year's but less than half of the 1942-51 average.
Milk production in September of 310 million pounds is down 32 million pounds from
last month and 2 million pounds from a year ago. In spite of heavier feeding of grain
production per cow was lower than last year.
_ Egg production per 100 layei-s was 1,308 eggs this year and 1,284 last year. There were
5 percent more layers so the 186 million eggs produced is up 7 percent from last year.
Since January production of eggs has been 2,111 million or 2 percent above last year.
UNITED STATES
The estimated all-crop volume remains third-largest of record, exceeded onlv in 1948
and 1952.
\irtually no change in the prospective total crop volume resulted from changes in
individual crop prospects during September. A few crops improved—cotton, all hay,
rice; many others changed only a little; but for spring wheat, soybeans, sorghum grain,
Peanuts and some others production prospects declined. The corn crop is now estimated
st 3,196 million bushels, only 20 million less than on September 1.
The generally dry, warm weather during September was favorable to ideal for
maturing and harvesting crops. Frost in various sections caused only minor crop damage;
in fact, killing frosts in some areas about October 6 were welcome, facilitating harvest
°1 corn, soybeans, and potatoes. Rapid progress in harvesting minimized harvesting
losses. But while the extended growing season permitted even late-planted fields to
mature, the widespread lack of soil moisture tended to limit yields of soybeans and
sorghums, also to reduce sizes of fruit. This lack of soil moisture affected corn yields
on y slightly, because of the advancement of the crop. But it retarded preparation of
nelds and seeding of fall-sown crops rather generally and may become a significant factor
!n reducing the planted acreage of winter wheat and rye.
torn produced in 1953 is mostly of good quality and ready for cribbing because of
low moisture content, but some corn in dry areas is chaffy or shallow-kerneled. The decline