No. 296 May 1, 1950
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
Winter wheat prospects on May 1 were for a crop of 27,246,000 bushels. This is nearly
3,000,000 bushes less than expected in April, and 4 percent less than the average produc-
tion of 1939-48 and only 69 percent of last year. The acreage for harvest is 19 percent
year. Of the 1,509,000 acres seeded last fall only 1,434,000 acres now give
promise of harvest. Lost acreage has been largely due to overflows and standing water.
Some fields suffered from heaving where the wet ground froze, but likely this did more
damage by thinning stands than by complete killing. The 19.0 bushels per acre now
indicated is somewhat below average yields of the last ten years.
The acreage of rye for harvest is 73,000 acres or 126 percent of last year. Even with
only 12.0 bushels per acre in prospect, the lowest since 1943, production of 876,000
bushels is 8 percent more than last year.
Stocks of hay on farms May 1 are 332,000 tons. This is 93 percent as much as last
year and 77 percent of the 1939-48 average. The condition of growing hay at 77 is 8
points lower than last year and 7 points below average. Pasture condition at 76 is 10
points lower than last year and 7 points lower than the ten year average.
Indiana hens produced 233 million eggs during April. This is 4 percent less than last
year. Production for the first four months of the year totalled 896 million eggs or 3 percent more than last year. For April both number of layers and rate of lay are below last
year. In earlier months number of layers exceeded last year.
Milk production in April was 275 million pounds. This is 10 percent lower than last
year and 4 percent below average. Production per cow was lower than for several years,
because pastures were providing little feed and the weather was unseasonable.
UNITED STATES
Crop prospects in general were less encouraging than usual on May 1. Winter wheat
developed slowly in most areas and deteriorated further in the dry Southwest, reflecting
growing conditions less favorable than usual during April. Additional abandonment
decreased the acreage for harvest and slow growth lowered yield prospects. Winter
wheat production is now estimated at 690 million bushels. Seeding of spring wheat has
been seriously delayed in the important Minnesota-Montana area and farmers may find
it impractical to seed their full intended acreages. With only average yields in the spring
wheat areas, production of all wheat may fall below a billion bushels for the first time
in 7 years. The first official estimate of spring wheat production is scheduled for
June 9.
Adverse weather conditions during April further retarded farm work and vegetative
growth, particularly in the northern two-thirds of the country. In the South, spring
work was nearly up to normal, but fall and spring sown crops, meadows and pastures
had made slow progress. Hay prospects over most of the country are below average,
particularly in newly-seeded meadows. Frosts in April, reaching nearly to the Gulf of
Mexico, caused additional damage to fruit crops, particularly peaches. Early planted
sugar beets and alfalfa have been damaged and retarded by freezing. Rains in dry areas
and warm days in early May helped to overcome some of the season's backwardness.
Rye production of only 21 million bushels is in prospect. While more than in 1949 and
1946, such an outturn would be among the small crops of this century. About an average
yield is expected on a relatively small acreage for harvest.  A smaller than average hay