No. 504 June 1, 1967
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   47907
This is one of 223 similar statistical reports prepared each year by the Indiana
Crop and Livestock Reporting Service at Purdue University, and released by the
Crop Reporting Board of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Such basic facts
about agriculture have been made available for 100 years. Yes, this is the Centennial Year of crop and livestock reporting in the United States.
INDIANA
Crop development lagged slightly behind average during the month of May because
of cool temperatures. During the last third of the month, when fields became dry
enough to work, farmers made rapid progress in getting their corn and soybeans
planted. By June 2, about 80 percent of the corn was planted, and 45 percent of the
soybeans were in the ground.
The 1967 wheat crop in Indiana is forecast at 49,118,000 bushels. This is 17 percent
above the 1966 harvest, and 11 percent above average. About 10 percent of the crop
had turned by June 1. This compares with 15 percent for average. The wheat crop
this spring has benefited from the adequate moisture supply and conditions have been
favorable for the filling of heads.
Peach production, forecast at 12.0 million pounds, is 13 percent above last year and
26 percent above average. Light frost, occurring during the first week in May, did
very little damage in the important District 7 (southwestern section of the State).
Plenty of moisture is available as rainfall has been about normal the past two months.
Milk production during May amounted to 259 million pounds. This is 1 percent less
than in May 1966 and 14 percent below the May average. The May production per cow
of 920 pounds was the highest of record and the decline in milk production was caused
by fewer cows being milked.
Egg production amounted to 222 million eggs, up 4 percent from May a year ago.
The number of layers on Indiana farms at 11,180,000 was 4 percent above May of 1966.
Egg production per hundred layers was 1,984 compared to 1,990 in May of last year.
UNITED STATES
Indicated 1967 winter wheat production improved during May as cool weather and
timely moisture in most areas more than offset early May freeze damage in the
Central Great Plains. Wheat in Montana, the Pacific Northwest, and the Corn Belt
continued to make excellent progress. Dry weather and freeze damage reduced yield
prospects in Texas, New Mexico, and South Dakota. In the East and South, prospects
changed only slightly during May. The June 1 indicated production of 1,237 million
bushels of winter wheat is 4 percent above the forecast of a month earlier, 17 percent
more than the 1966 total, and 28 percent above average.
Spring wheat seeding was practically complete in spite of delays caused by wet fields
and cool temperatures. Early growth has been slow because of generally cold, wet
weather, although soils are dry in parts of Minnesota and South Dakota. The forecast
for 1967 production of all spring wheat is 313 million bushels, 23 percent more than
last year and 28 percent above average.
May was cool with temperatures averaging well below normal over most of the
country. This continued the below average temperatures of the latter part of April
and gave many areas 5 to 6 weeks of continuous below normal weekly averages.
Damaging frosts and freezing weather pushed south into the Great Plains as far as
northern Texas early in May with temperatures in the low 20's in northwest Kansas.
And, although most southern areas of the Nation generally escaped frost damage, the
prolonged period of subnormal temperature was detrimental to some growing crops.
East of the Mississippi River, May precipitation was generally near or well above
normal except in parts of southeast Georgia, central and southern Florida, upper
Portions of Indiana and Illinois, and most of Michigan and Wisconsin. Frequent
showers throughout much of this area hampered field work, particularly from the
lower Mississippi Valley northeastward to New England.   However, rainfall continued