COLORADO HIGHLIGHTS 

As of March 1, Colorado growers intend to plant 1.28 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2021, down 140,000 acres, or 10 percent from last year's plantings, according to the March 1 Agricultural Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. 

Sorghum planting intentions total 410,000 acres, up 40,000 acres from last year. 

Growers intend to plant 49,000 acres of barley in 2021, down 4,000 acres from last year's actual plantings. 

Winter wheat seeded last fall for harvest in 2021 is estimated at 2.05 million acres, up 150,000 acres from the 2020 crop. 

Hay producers in the state intend to harvest 1.33 million acres this year. This is down 50,000 acres from the acreage cut for hay in 2020. 

Growers intend to plant 72,000 acres of sunflowers this year, up 12,000 acres from what they planted in 2020. The acreage of oil varieties is expected to total 60,000 acres, up 18,000 acres from last year's plantings. The area for non-oil varieties is expected to be down 6,000 acres to 12,000 acres this year. 

The area planted to sugarbeets is expected to be down 200 acres from last year's actual plantings to 24,000 acres. 

Dry edible bean acreage is expected to total 37,000 acres, down 36 percent from the 58,000 acres planted in 2020. 

As of March 26, mountain snowpack was 94 percent of average, statewide. Final acreages actually planted for several crops will be determined by irrigation water prospects, soil moisture levels at planting time, and changes in economic conditions between now and actual planting. 

UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS 

Corn planted area for all purposes in 2021 is estimated at 91.1 million acres, up less than 1 percent or an increase of 325,000 acres from last year. Compared with last year, planted acreage is expected to be up or unchanged in 24 of the 48 estimating States. 

Sorghum growers intend to plant 6.94 million acres of sorghum for all purposes in 2021, up 18 percent from last year. 

Producers intend to seed 2.59 million acres of barley for the 2021 crop year, down 1 percent from the previous year. If realized, this will represent the fourth lowest planted acreage on record. 

All wheat planted area for 2021 is estimated at 46.4 million acres, up 5 percent from 2020. This represents the fourth lowest all wheat planted area since records began in 1919. The 2021 winter wheat planted area, at 33.1 million acres, is up 9 percent from last year and up 3 percent from the previous estimate. Of this total, about 23.2 million acres are Hard Red Winter, 6.42 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and 3.48 million acres are White Winter. Area expected to be planted to other spring wheat for 2021 is estimated at 11.7 million acres, down 4 percent from 2020. Of this total, about 10.9 million acres are Hard Red Spring wheat. Durum planted area for 2021 is expected to total 1.54 million acres, down 9 percent from the previous year. 

Producers intend to harvest 51.7 million acres of all hay in 2021, down 1 percent from 2020. If realized, this will represent the lowest total hay harvested area since 1908. 

Sunflower growers intend to plant 1.22 million acres in 2021, a decline of 29 percent from 2020. If realized, this will be the lowest planted area on record for the Nation since 1976. Area expected to be planted to sugarbeets for the 2021 crop year is estimated at 1.17 million acres, up 1 percent from 2020. Growers intend to plant 1.54 million acres of dry edible beans in 2021, down 11 percent from the previous season’s 1.74 million acres.