Kentucky Ag Connection - Kentucky Corn Acres Up and Soybean Acres Down

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Kentucky Corn Acres Up and Soybean Acres Down
Kentucky Ag Connection - 07/01/2016

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released its findings today from the June Agricultural Survey conducted earlier this month. The survey queried nearly 2,600 farms across Kentucky to determine crop acreage for 2016.

"We found the number of acres of corn planted increased seven percent from 2015," said David Knopf, director of the NASS Eastern Mountain Regional Office in Kentucky. "Acres of soybeans planted was down slightly from last year, but still came in at the second largest number we've seen."

Acreage planted to corn in Kentucky was estimated at 1.50 million acres, up 100,000 acres from 2015. The U.S. corn planted for all purposes in 2016 was estimated at 94.1 million acres, up 7 percent from last year. This represents the third highest planted acreage in the United States since 1944.

Soybeans planted in Kentucky were estimated at 1.80 million acres, down 40,000 acres from 2015. U.S. soybean planted area for 2016 was estimated at a record high 83.7 million acres, up 1 percent from last year. Farmers in Kentucky intend to set an estimated 57,000 acres of burley tobacco for harvest, down 1,000 from 2015. Dark fire-cured tobacco acreage set was estimated at 9,500 acres, and dark aircured tobacco acreage was estimated at 4,700 acres. Burley producing states acreage for harvest was estimated at 75,900 acres, 4 percent below last year.

Winter wheat seeded acreage in Kentucky was estimated at 540,000 acres. Acreage harvested for grain was estimated at 410,000 acres, 30,000 acres below 2015. The U.S. Winter wheat planted area was estimated at 36.5 million acres, down 7 percent from 2015. Area harvested for grain was forecast at 30.2 million acres, down 6 percent from last year.

Alfalfa hay acreage in Kentucky was estimated at 160,000 acres, down 10,000 from the 2015 crop. All other hay was estimated at 2.20 million acres, unchanged from a year ago. The U.S. All hay acreage was estimated at 56.1 million acres, up 3 percent from 2015.

"We work to provide accurate, timely and useful data to the agricultural community," Knopf said. "We couldn't do that without our farmers, so credit for the acreage data goes to the farm operators who responded to the June Agricultural Survey. These data are important to them as they make marketing plans, and to those agribusinesses who supply their inputs."

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