No. 151 April 1, 1938
INDIANA
CROPS AND LIVESTOCK
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
CO-OPERATING WITH
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS
WEST  LAFAYETTE,  INDIANA
INDIANA
The condition of winter wheat on April 1 gave promise of a yield of 17.0
bushels per seeded acre, and the production of 34,408,000 bushels. This a yield 2
bushels greater than last year and 1.4 bushels greater than the 10 year (1927-1936)
average. The production indicated is only slightly less than last year but about
24 percent larger than the 10 year average. The growth of winter wheat is materially advanced for the season, due to the comparatively open winter and above
normal temperatures and precipitation. Usually the condition declines from December 1 to April 1 but this year the condition has improved about as much as
the usual decline.
The condition of rye on April 1 at 90 percent of normal was 8 points above
the 10 year average and 10 points above a year ago.
Pastures like wheat and rye have gotten off to an unusually good start. The
April condition at 90 percent of normal is 12 points above average and 26 points
above last year.
The April 1 stocks of wheat on farms is estimated as 4,513,000 bushels which
is about 20 percent greater than the 10 year average and about 71 percent larger
than last year.
Corn on farms amounted to 47 percent of last year's large crop of 93,398,000
bushels compared with the 10 year average of 49,916,000. This is about 15 percent
larger than any year since records were started.
Oats stocks amounted to 30 percent of last year's crop or 13,792,000 bushels
which was about 9 percent less than the 10 year average.
Farm wages were reported to be about the same as a year earlier. The supply
of farm labor stood at 97 percent of normal or 9 points higher than a year ago
and the demand stood at 83 percent of normal or 9 points less than the same
time last year.
On farms of crop reporters there was an average of 102.5 hens and pullets
of laying age per farm compared with the average of 109. Production per 100
birds was 62.0 eggs compared with the average of 57.5.
Crop reporters were milking 71.6 percent of the milk cows in their herd which
is about average. Production per cow milked was 19.7 pounds compared with the
average of 19.3 pounds.
UNITED STATES
Prospects for crops, ranges and pastures in the country as a whole appear
moderately better than at this season in any of the last several years. The uniformly mild weather of March following a remarkably mild and open winter in the
country as a whole brought grass and winter grain crops through the winter with
minimum damage and gave them an early start. In the main winter wheat belt the
above-normal rains in the last few months have improved prospects generally.
Conditions as they were on April 1 indicated that a winter wheat crop of about
726,000,000 bushels might be expected. This is nearly 100,000,000 bushels above
expectations last December, and 41,000,000 above last year's crop.
Over wide areas the growth of vegetation was reported to be two weeks
further advanced than usual on the first of April. Pastures and winter grains were
reported greening up as far north as New York, Minneosta, and Montana and
pastures were furnishing considerable feed in the southern half of the country.
Milk production showed the biggest March increase in 14 years or more, and egg
production per 100 hens continued ahove previous high records for the month. Vege-