No. 276 Septmber 1, 1948
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
Indiana corn prospects September 1 continued at a record high even though the expected
yield per acre of 57 bushels is two bushels lower than last month. Deficient precipitation
reduced prospects rather generally but especially in the northern part of the state. Corn
is rapidly maturing as a result of high temperatures, and little fear ot damage irom Irost
exists. The production forecast is 266,019,000 bushels.
Harvest returns bear out the August 1 forecast of 43 bushels per acre of oats with the
expected crop 58,050,000 bushels. Later reports on barley are slightly lower, but still a
record yield.
Soybeans maintained the prospective yield of 20.5 bushels per acre. The 1,386,000 acres
for beans are expected to produce 28,413,000 bushels only slightly less than the 1945 record
crop.
Tobacco prospects were reported lower than a month ago, though still above average.
The expected crop is 11,140,000 pounds.
Potatoes are unchanged in prospect for the month with 3,300,000 bushels expected.
Sweet potatoes also showed no change.
The all hay crop estimate of 2,182,000 tons is also unchanged. Alfalfa hay from 369,000
acres is estimated at 701,000 tons, and clover and timothy hay from 1,016,000 acres will be
1,219,000 tons. Pasture condition declined eleven points in the month with greatest losses
in northern and eastern districts.
A definite improvement in prospects for commercial apples and peaches is reported in
the past month. Apples are now estimated at 1,145,000 bushels, and peaches at 588,000
bushels. Pears and grapes are unchanged.
August milk production is estimated as 339 million pounds, about one percent above last
year, even though cow numbers are down more than two percent.
Egg production in August of 144 million eggs is slightly above last year because of a
record rate of lay of 1,423 eggs per 100 layers. Last year when the rate of laying was 1,333
eggs per 100 layers 143 million eggs were produced in August. Production to September 1
this year of 1,598 million eggs is about one percent above last year.
UNITED STATES
The all-time record outturn of crops in prospect earlier this season gained in quantity
and drew closer to realization during August. The heat wave over most of the country
in the final third of August caused some deterioration of crops where soil moisture was
inadequate, but elsewhere the benefits of the sunshine and warmth outweighed such damage. Harvest is practically completed for small grains, and most of the late-growing crops
are virtually "made".
Corn prospects improved nearly 1 percent during August to a production estimate of
3,529 million bushels, by far the largest volume in history. Spring wheat production
improved slightly also, to 304 million bushels, as harvest passed its peak. Adding nearly
a billion bushels of winter wheat, virtually all harvested, an all wheat total of 1,285 million
bushels is estimated. Of other crops nearly all harvested, larger outturns than forecast a
month ago are now estimated for oats, barley, flaxseed and most kinds of hay. For later-
growing crops, improvement is noted for cotton, sorghum grain, soybeans, beans, potatoes
and tobacco, but prospects for buckwheat, rice, peas, peanuts and sugar beets declined.
In nearly all cases, the changes were relatively small from August 1 forecasts, the most
significant probably being the 2 percent increases for potatoes and oats.
Totaling the estimated production of all crops, the aggregate obtained is 9 index points
above the record set in 1946. The current total is 135 percent of the 1923-32 base. Contributing heavily to this outstanding volume are record outturns of corn, soybeans, peanuts and pecans, with near-record crops of wheat, oats, flaxseed, rice, sorghum grain, dry
beans and citrus fruits. Such crops as cotton, barley, all hay, potatoes, tobacco, sugarcane,
sugar beets, hops, peaches, grapes, cherries and apricots are larger than average. Only rye,