No. 126 March 1, 1936
INDIANA
CROPS AND LIVESTOCK
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
DIVISION OP CROP AND LIVESTOCK
CO-OPERATING WITH     
PURDUE UNIVERSITY 
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL STATIS
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
INDIANA
On March 1, 72.4 percent of the cows on Reporters' farms were being milked.
Production per cow milked was 17.5 pounds, last month, 17.2; a year ago, 17.4.
On Reporters' farms having less than 400 hens and pullets, 33.5 percent were
laying, last month, 20.9; a year ago, 40.0. The average number of hens and pullets
of laying age was 110; last month, 111; a year ago, 105.
UNITED STATES
A substantial increase in the acreage of crops is to be expected this year
according to the March 1 plans of 42,000 farmers as reported to the United States
Department of Agriculture. These plans indicate acreages of corn, spring wheat,
flaxseed, rice, peanuts, and some types of tobacco that appear large in comparison
with the acreages harvested during the last three years, but for these crops, as
for most other crops, the changes in prospect are mostly back to what would have
been considered normal acreages three years ago.
In interpreting the reported plans the Crop Reporting Board has made careful
allowance for usual difficulties at planting time, for usual loss of crops from hail,
flood, drought and other causes and the figures are published to help individual
farmers in adjusting their cropping program after learning what farmers in other
parts of the country are planning.
The increase of 25 percent indicated for durum wheat and the increase of 18
percent indicated for other spring wheat reflect several years of low wheat production, below average prospects for winter wheat, low wheat stocks and prices
that are high compared with prices of other grains. If present plans are carried
out, and there is only the usual abandonment of spring wheat the total spring
wheat acreage would be about 10 percent above the 1928-32 average, but judging
from present prospects for winter wheat, that would mean a total wheat acreage
only 1 or 2 percent above the average in those years. The chances are that production on such acreage would be above usual domestic requirements but yields
vary too widely to permit definite prediction.
Soybeans which have been increasing steadily for some years show a prospective decrease of 11 percent from the record acreage last year which would still
leave an acreage substantially larger than in any other year.
Present plans, if not changed by the Soil Conservation program, would indicate about the usual acreage of feed grains for harvest next fall. There would
be about the same acreages of oats and barley as the average during the 5-year
Period, 1928-32, and the indicated 4 percent decrease in the acreage of corn seems
likely to be offset by a nearly correspondingly increased acreage of grain sorghum.
Production will depend largely on weather conditions but, with only moderate
stocks of feed grain now on the farms, the most probable supply next fall would
seem to be somewhere around the 5-year average (1928-32). This would mean a
rather larger than usual supply in proportion to livestock numbers.
The reports on hay suggest the possibility of slightly less than the usual
supply per unit of livestock but this may be changed by the Soil Conservation
Program. Considering the acreages of the major hay crops which farmers were
Planning to cut and adding allowance for the prospective acreage of grain crops
cut for hay and for such hay as is likely to be secured from peanuts and other
annual legumes, the total appears to be about 2 percent above the acreage cut
last year, but about 1 percent below the 5-year, 1928-32 average.