No. 262 July 1, 1947
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
Inaiana farmers report corn acreage condition, indicating production in 1947 of
173,240,000 bushels. This is only 75 percent of last year's record crop, but 93 percent of
the 1936-45 production. Frequent and heavy precipitation kept soil too wet to work
through much of May and early June so planting was extended over a long period. As a
result corn is very uneven and small for the date. The reported condition of 65 is the
lowest since 1933. The acreage for harvest is 4,331,000, slightly above the ten year average, but five percent less than last year.
The wheat crop prospects were unchanged in June with a continued forecast of 22
bushels per acre and production of 34,364,000 bushels. The acreage is 13 percent above
last year, while production is 16 percent higher.
Adverse weather at sowing time resulted in a decreased acreage of oats instead of the
unchanged one intended. At 87 percent of last year and 96 percent of the average the
areage for harvest is 1,253,000. With a low yield of 27.0 bushels indicated, production
expected of 33,831,000 bushels of oats is 60 percent of last year and 80 percent of 1936-45
average.
Sowing of soybeans continued late and it now appears the intended acreage of 1,571,000
was realized. No forecast of production is made this month.
Hay acreage is five percent below last year to 1,732,000 acres. Yields better than average are expected making the production forecast 2,425,000 tons. This is 94 percent of
1936-45 production.
Pasture condition at 95 percent of normal reflects the uniformly good growth of grass
with abundant moisture. The ten year average figure is 86.
Tobacco acreage was reduced five percent, mostly because of allotment restrictions.
Prospects are good but not yet as good as the yield of last year.
All fruits are much better than last year, though production of pears and grapes will
be less than the ten year average. Commercial apples promise 1,508,000 bushels, a fourth
more than last year and eight percent more than average for the past ten years. Rain
has hindered spraying so some impairment of quality from scab and insects seems
probable. The peach crop of 745,000 bushels is 44 percent larger than last year, and more
than twice as large as the 1936-45 average.
The production of milk in June is estimated as 383 million pounds. High production
per cow and percentage of cows milked largely offset reduced cow numbers. Production
in first half of year totals, 1,840 million pounds or 99 percent of last year.
June egg production is estimated as 203 million eggs. The eggs produced per 100 hens
at 1,710 makes a new record rate for June. Production in the first half year was 1,304
million eggs or 105 percent of the same period last year. The average number of young
chickens per farm is 231 where last year it was 268.
UNITED STATES
Current crop prospects are surprisingly good, considering the adverse growing conditions which prevailed through mid-June. Farmers, faced with unseasonable weather most
of the spring, still managed to plant a relatively large total crop acreage. When weather
finally turned favorable after mid-June, progress in the fields was rapid. Corn finally
Planted was within 1.3 percent of the intended acreage, and with normal growing weather
a production of 2.6 billion bushels is expected—about an average crop but only four-fifths
of last year's record high. Record wheat and rice crops are in prospect, but feed grains
»tal only about average volume. Cotton acreage is more than one-sixth larger than m
«Aer of the past two years, which were the low points of this century. All-crop condition
!»reported near the average of the past 9 years, when production has been larger than
:n any other similar period of record. The total acreage of crops for harvest in 1947
15 0.5 percent larger than last year. While indicated yields of spring-sown crops are
mostly below recent records, they are better than average. Current estimates indicate