No. 469 July 1, 1964
INDIANA CROPS AND LIVESTOCK
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
STATISTICAL REPORTING SERVICE
COOPERATING WITH
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
INDIANA
Production forecasts on July 1 for 1964 Indiana grain crops are generally down from
1963 production. Production of wheat, oats, barley and rye are all expected to be down
from last year while corn production is expected to be larger than last year and average.
Corn yield is again expected to reach an all time high in 1964 with an average of 89.0
bushels per acre based on July 1 prospects. With acreage for harvest as grain expected to
be 4,642,000 acres, the same as last year, production will be 2 percent above last year and
29 percent above average. This year's production of corn will be the highest on record.
This year's production of wheat is expected to reach 53,937,000 bushels, 1 percent
below last year, but 36 percent above average. The 1964 acreage of wheat for harvest in
Indiana is 1,383,000 acres, 4 percent above last year. The yield per acre at 39.0 bushels
is down 2.0 bushels from the record yield of 41.0 bushels per acre last year. The lower
yield more than offsets the increase in acreage.
The production of oats in 1964 has been forecast at 18,150,000 bushels, 40 percent less
than last year and 52 percent less than average. Acres for harvest totaled 363,000 acres,
25 percent below 1963 and 53 percent below average. Yield per acre is expected to be 50.0
bushels per acre this year compared with 62.0 bushels per acre last year. Acreage of
oats for grain and total production for 1964 is the smallest on record for Indiana.
Production of barley and rye is also considerably lower in 1964. The production of
barley has been estimated at 703,000 bushels, 41 percent less than last year and 59 percent
less than average. Barley acreage at 19,000 is down 41 percent from last year. Rye production is expected to be 966,000 bushels, 25 percent below 1963 and 21 percent below
average. Acres for harvest as grain is estimated at 42,000 acres, down 22 percent from
last year and 29 percent below average.
Soybean acreage for beans for the 1964 crop is estimated at 2,816,000 acres, up 4 percent from last year and 14 percent above average. This is another all-time record. The
first forecast of production will be released in August.
Corn stocks on farms totaled 109,041,000 bushels on July 1, up 3 percent from last year
and 15 percent above average. Wheat stocks (old crop) on farms totaling 273,000 bushels
were down 32 percent from a year ago but up 74 percent from average. Oats stocks (old
crop) in on-farm positions totaled 5,702,000 bushels on July 1, down 5 percent from one
year ago and down 2 percent from average. Soybean stocks on farms totaled 4,468,000
bushels up 68 percent from last year and 45 percent above average.
Hay production is expected to be 2,427,000 tons, 2 percent below last year and 4 percent
below average. Alfalfa hay is expected to make up 1,382,000 tons of tne total hay and
clover and timothy mixtures another 870,000 tons. The 1964 clover-timothy crop is 10
percent below last year and 19 percent below average.
Commercial apple production is forecast at 2,400,000 bushels up 60 percent from last
year and 33 percent above average. If the forecast holds, this will be the largest crop
since 1937. Peach production is forecast at 530,000 bushels, up from the record low last
year of 10,000 bushels.
Milk production during June totaled 313 million pounds, slightly below the June 1963
production of 314 million pounds. Egg production during June totaled 181 million eggs,
4 percent below the June 1963 production of 188 million eggs.
UNITED STATES
Crop prospects are generally good in the important North Central States and in Western areas, but dry soils and high temperatures have reduced crop potentials in many South
Central and Atlantic Coast areas. Spring work got off to a slow start in 1964 with wet
soils hampering activities in March and April. Scattered rainfall patterns have left some
areas too dry for best crop prospects and normal summer rains will be needed to bring
crops to harvest time.