No. 435 November 1, 1961
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
Prospects for Indiana's 1961 corn crop of 292,448,000 bushels of grain corn remained
imchanged from last month's forecast. Despite adverse harvest weather which has interrupted picking, farmers still expect corn yields to reach record high proportions. By
November 1 only y_ of the state's crop had been picked while the usual for the date is
about % done. Rains, during October, have continued the good growth of pastures and fall-
sown grain in northern areas and has lessened droughty conditions elsewhere. The first
state-wide killing frost occurred October 27.
The State's soybean crop of 79,548,000 bu. declined slightly from the October 1 forecast
as the prolonged harvest worked to reduce earlier expectations. Over 5 percent of the
state's acreage still remained to be harvested by the end of October. The prospective
November 1 yield of 28.0 bu. per acre is down one bushel from last month, but one bushel
above the previous record large 27.0 bu. per acre obtained in 1958 and 1960.
The Indiana tobacco crop is expected to total 13,320,000 pounds, the largest crop since
1954. Yield prospects reached new record high levels as the November 1 forecast of 1,800
pounds per acre exceeds the previous record of 1,750 pounds in 1959.
Commercial apple production is expected to total 1,350,000 bushels, unchanged from last
month's forecast. Harvest operations were still active on November 1 with about 10 percent of the crop remaining to be picked.
Pasture condition, rated at 86 percent of normal, reflects a 4 point improvement since
October 1. The lower Wabash Valley and other areas in southern Indiana report the poorest conditions in the state. In northern areas pastures have continued to provide generally
adequate livestock feed.
Milk production during October is estimated at 266 million pounds. This is nearly the
same as September but is 6 percent larger than the October 1960 milk production.
Egg production at 184 million eggs, 10 million less than the 194 million produced in
October last year, is well above the 172 million eggs produced in September. Eggs laid
per 100 layers of 1,708 compares to 1,656 of last month and 1,717 of a year ago.
UNITED STATES
October weather permitted late growing crops such as corn and sorghums to reach full
maturity and add to earlier prospects. Offsetting declines in other crops held the all-crop
production index at the same level as a month earlier. At 117 the index is 4 points below
the high of 121 recorded in 1960. The yield index, representing a composite of 28 leading
crops, advanced 1 point during October to 146. This compares to the previous record of
143 for the crop seasons of 1958 and 1960.
Delayed freezing weather in the Corn Belt allowed late growing crops of corn and
sorghums to reach full maturity and nudge the output of feed grains above last month's
estimate. Total tonnage of the four feed grains is now estimated at 138 million tons, up
fractionally from last month but 11 percent under the 1960 total. The November 1 indicated corn yield of 60.9 bushels per acre far surpasses last year's previous record of 54.5
bushels. Harvest was progressing well except in the Central Corn Belt States where frequent rains have slowed drying and kept soils too moist for use of heavy equipment. As
harvest of the important sorghum grain crop in Texas neared completion, yields exceeded
earlier expectations and pushed production above indications a month ago. The increase
in Texas more than offset lower prospects in Kansas where freeze damage reduced yield
and test weight. Sorghum grain production is expected to total 482 million bushels—21
Percent under the record crop of 1960.
Prospects for the soybean crop declined slightly during October. The November 1 estimate of 701 million bushels is one percent below last month but far surpasses the 1958
record output of 580 million bushels. The indicated yield of 25.9 bushels per acre eased off
from last month's 26.2 bushels but is well above the 1958 yield of 24.2, the previous record.