No. 260 May 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
Prospects May 1 indicated winter wheat production of 34,364,000 bushels. The yield per
acre forecast is 22.0 bushels. This yield almost four bushels higher than average, and a
14 percent inrease in acreage seeded over last year make the expected crop about 27
percent greater than the 1936-1945 average. The May 1 condition is rather uniform over
the state, and shows about the usual change since last December. Abandonment was light,
and mostly resulted from water damage.
The 54,000 acres of rye expected to be harvested for grain is a larger proportion of
the seeded acreage than last year. The expected yield of 12.5 bushels per acre is slightly
below average. The indicated production of 675,000 bushels is 25 percent more than last
year, though only 46 percent of the 1936-1945 average.
On May 1 hay stocks on farms were 429,000 tons. This is 73 percent of last year, but
four percent more than average. With little change in livestock numbers the disappearance of hay the past season exceeded the previous year by 488,000 tons. This may be attributed in part to the later start of pasture this spring and also to very liberal feeding
from a large supply. The condition of hay and pasture May 1 was practically at the ten
year average, where a year ago they were near record high levels.
The average number of laying hens on farms in April was 13,312,000, or nearly three
percent more than last year. Egg production per 100 layers was 1,893 eggs where last
year it was 1,953. Egg production of 252 million eggs was two million below last year.
Production since January 1, however, at 854 million compares with 838 million last year.
Crop reporters on May 1 were milking 74.0 percent of their cows. Grain feeding continued at levels even higher than in mid winter as pastures are late. Milk production per
cow though above average, is sharply lower than the past two years. Production of milk
was 294 million pounds in April this year and 313 last year. The 1936-45 April average
is 270 million pounds. Production since January 1 totals 1,092 million pounds or two
million pounds less than the same period last year.
UNITED STATES
Prospects for spring-sown crops on May 1 were still dimmed by the backwardness of
the season, but fall-sown crops showed improvement. Ample to excessive moisture in
most areas has been a factor in delaying spring work past the optimum time. Farmers
have been unable to complete seeding of intended acreages of spring grains, particularly
oats. If May weather permits, farmers will shift to corn and other crops for which the
best planting dates come later. This could result in a larger aggregate production, since
corn produces more per acre than oats in the affected areas. Perhaps more oil crops will
be planted than farmers intended earlier. The condition of fall-sown crops, particularly
filter wheat, is rather uniformly good. Grasses, meadows and pastures have developed
slowly, but are reported in good condition. Hay stocks remain relatively large, though
they have been exhausted in some local areas by late feeding requirements. Fruit has
progressed slowly east of the Rocky Mountains but will be susceptible to damage by May
frosts.
Field work was frequently interrupted by April weather in most of the country. Spring
arrived early in the Pacific Coast States and New Mexico, permitting an early start on
spring plantings. The situation has continued favorable there except that some sections
are becoming dry, including much of California. In the rest of the country spring work is
delayed, varying from nearly normal in the Mountain States to 2 or 3 weeks late in the
eastern Corn Belt. Some improvement occurred in the South, but not enough to overcome
the backwardness, resulting from February and March conditions.