No. 385 October 1, 1957
INDIANA CROPS AND LIVESTOCK
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE
AGRICULTURAL ESTIMATES DIVISION
COOPERATING WITH
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
INDIANA
Further improvement in prospective yields of corn and soybeans occurred during
September. Early planted fields of both crops were maturing normally but late plantings
were needing additional time before killing frosts in areas where floods and wet
weather interfered with  planting.
A corn crop of 235,062,000 bushels is in prospect. A crop of this size would be 61
million bushels or 21 percent below last year's crop and would be 5 million bushels
or 2 percent below the 10 year (1946-55) average. An average yield of 54.0 bushels
per acre is expected. This is 8.0 bushels below last year's record of 62.0 bushels per
acre but is 2.4 bushels above average. Scattered light frosts occurred over Northern
Indiana September 24, 25 and 27 but damage was light. About 75 percent of the crop
was considered safe from frost at the c>lpse of the month. Only a few fields had been
picked by October 1. /j**^****
Soybean production is forecast aty5y8\^35J0OO^bushels and places this year's total
3 percent above last year's record/production and 48 percent above the 10 year
average. Yield prospect of 23.0 busjaels per aepe. te 1:5 .bushels above the September 1
outlook but is 1.0 bushel under the/record of 24.flCb^ijmel'7r f or the 1956 and 1954 crops.
About 20 percent of the crop hjptfl been combined -ai/^^.ctose^ of September.
Stocks of old crop corn on Jndiana farms are esUm^taft,^a\-21.6 million bushels.
Reduction in stocks during the Cj>arter ^tailed 84.9,millionTmgtep7^Du}; October 1 stocks
are double those of a year ago anoT^ejJlVp^cent above average/ Jflfheat stocks totalled
5,297,000 bushels and are 26 percentiNqJow^ .nocks oil farms a year ago and are 47
percent below average. Oat stocks on faHros ar6j lift percent bellow those of a year
earlier and the 28.8 million bushels on farmsa«4j^24lert6nt beloyr the 10 year average
for October 1. Barley stocks of 1.3 million buS»^ls are dowjff 7 percent from last
year but were nearly three times average. Rye stocTta,s<are 7 percent under last year
but 29 percent above average.
Hay production is expected to total 2,666,000 tons or 2 percent less than last year
but 2 percent above the 10 year average. The average yield of 1.77 tons per acre is
slightly above last year's yield of 1.76 tons per acre and is 20 percent above the
1946-55 average of 1.48 tons. Pasture condition at 87 percent of normal is seasonally
below the September 1 level but 13 points above a year ago.
Commercial apple production is forecast at 1,640,000 bushels. This is 3 percent
above a month ago and 18 percent above average but 9 percent below last year. Picking this fall has been slower than usual. Peach production prospects are down from
the September 1 forecast and the October 1 estimate of 298,000 bushels is 30 percent
under both last year's crop and the average. Grape production of 900 tons is 44 percent
under last year and 26 percent below average.
Milk production in September totalled 313 million pounds. This is 3 million pounds
less than last year and represents a seasonal decline of 28 million pounds from the
August production.
September egg production totalled 165 million eggs as compared with the same
number in August and 173 million during September last year. The September rate
of lay of 1,494 eggs per 100 layers is 4 percent above last year while the number of
layers at 11,064,000 is 8 percent fewer.
UNITED STATES
After further gains during September total crop production this year now looks
equal to the previous record. Late crops in important areas made notable maturity
advances as killing frosts held off. Timely rainfall aided pastures and late hay growth
and gave fall seedings a good start. Excessive rains caused considerable damage by
delaying harvest of cotton and other Southern crops.
The all-crop production index based on October 1 estimates has moved to 106,
matching the previous top years 1956 and 1948. Feed grain production swelled by
recent gains in sorghum grain and corn is expected to be 7 percent larger than last
year with an index of 118 surpassing by 2 points the record corn year 1948. Oilseed