No. 336 September 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
Crop prospects as of September 1 were not greatly different from a month earlier.
During the first week of August the state was covered by general rains. At the same
time the temperatures, both daytime and nighttime, were above average making excellent
growing conditions for crops. There was little rainfall during the rest of the month and
until the last week temperatures, particularly nighttime temperatures were below normal
and heavy dews occurred almost every night. Because of excellent growing conditions
earlier in the season, crops were about one week ahead of normal when the late August
heat wave and drought occurred which materially lessened damaging effects.
Indiana corn production prospects are unchanged from August 1 with an indicated
yield of 53.0 bushels per acre and a production of 251,167,000 bushels. High temperatures
at the end of August hastened drying of the corn and caused some deterioration in late
planted corn in southern districts.
The preliminary report of the yield of oats at 36.0 bushels is unchanged from the
yield indicated last month and points to a production of 45,864,000 bushels.
The indicated soybean yield of 23.0 bushels is aiao_ujrichangedfrom last month. The
soybean crop was at a rather critical stage at the end'^rf AugusX Wltft'Trraa-fe-fields needing
moisture to fill out the late pods. Without rainfall in .the nea,r future the plants would
be maturing before the beans had filled in the pbds. * *-*»w»l f i
Hay production was indicated as slightly higher than last month. Reduced prospects
for late cuttings of alfalfa hay were more than offset byQ$:ifeaste3 JfreH'§ in the .more
important clover-timothy hay crop. "^  ' JDJ
Apple prospects remain at 1,444,000 bushels ii commercial counties. Peaches appear
slightly better than a month earlier with 482,000 bush^s_flofw~yidjgftttftl. F«f|1¥>3nd grapes
are also up slightly from last month but are b^low. average cropgT^ Jr%   Tf
Milk production per cow was lower than last montE"anc! iaiuui iii . jrQir flg"j With
more dairy cows on farms, production was at 342 million pounds compared to 337
million pounds in August of last year.
Egg production per 100 layers was 1,432 eggs during August this year compared to
1,383 last year. Total egg production for August was 180 million eggs this year and 165
million last year.
UNITED STATES
A slight decrease in the volume of prospective all-crop production resulted from
August growing conditions, which varied by areas from adverse to favorable. Prospects
improved significantly for cotton, sorghum and peanuts, declined for corn, soybeans
and spring grains and changed little for a large number of crops. As a result, the
index of all-crop production dropped nearly 2 points below that of August 1, and was
also 2 points less than in 1952, to make it the third-largest of record.
The corn crop was mostly advanced in development; still, potential yields were
lowered by lack of moisture as the ears and kernels were filling. Production is now
indicated at 3,216 million bushels, 114 million less than on August 1. Most of the
reduction occurred in the main Corn Belt, where changes in yield ranged from improvement in the northwestern portion to declines of 5 to 6 bushels each in the severely
affected States of Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas.
Spring wheat was severely damaged by stem rust and hot, dry weather at filling
time, resulting in lower yields. The current estimate of 291 million bushels of spring
wheat plus the earlier estimate of 878 million bushels of winter wheat, gives an all
wheat total of 1,169 million bushels, nearly 34 million less than on August 1.
Improvement in yield prospects during August raised production estimates in varying
degrees for rice, sorghum grain, cotton, dry beans, dry peas, peanuts, sweetpotatoes,
sugarcane, sugar beets, hops, apricots and pecans. On the other hand, declines are shown
for corn, durum and other spring wheat, oats, barley, flaxseed, soybeans, all hay,
potatoes, tobacco, broomcorn, apples, peaches, pears and grapes.
While many of these changes in outturns of crops from August 1, are relatively
small, the declines more than offset the increases. Consequently, the index of all-crop
Production dropped to 130 percent of the 1923-32 base. This is exceeded only by the 132
Percent in 1952 and the record 135.5 percent in 1948. Only rice, cranberries and pecans
contribute record outturns to the total. Despite the declines, expected outturns of corn
and soybeans are among the larger crops of these commodities. Larger than average
"ops of winter wheat, flaxseed, cotton, hay, tobacco, sugarcane, sugar beets and cherries