Based on August 1 conditions, barley production in Wyoming is forecast at 5.25 million bushels, according to the August 1 Agricultural

Yield Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. This forecast is up 4 percent from the July 1 forecast but down 18 percent from last year’s crop. The area for harvest in 2022, at 51,000 acres, is down 19,000 acres from the 70,000 acres harvested last year. Barley yield is forecast at 103.0 bushels per acre, up 4.0 bushels per acre from the July 1 forecast and 12.0 bushels per acre above last year. As of July 31, Wyoming’s barley crop condition was rated 21 percent fair, 78 percent good, and 1 percent excellent. Barley harvest was 10 percent complete, compared with 29 percent last year and the 5-year average of 16 percent.

Wyoming farmers and ranchers expect to harvest 570,000 acres of alfalfa hay this year, up 100,000 acres from 2021. They also expect to harvest 520,000 acres of other hay in 2022, up 50,000 acres from last year. Alfalfa production is forecast at 1.82 million tons, up 39 percent from the 1.32 million tons produced in 2021. Other hay production is estimated at 832,000 tons, up 26 percent from the 658,000 tons produced a year ago. Yields are expected to average 3.20 tons per acre for alfalfa hay and 1.60 tons per acre for other hay, compared to last year’s yields of 2.80 tons per acre for alfalfa hay and 1.40 tons per acre for other hay.

Dry bean production for 2022 is forecast at 360,000 hundredweight, down 5 percent from the 378,000 hundredweight produced a year earlier. If realized, this would be the lowest dry bean production since 339,000 hundredweight were produced in 1993. Yields are expected to average 2,400 pounds per acre, down from 2,410 pounds per acre last year. Growers expect to harvest 15,000 acres this year, down 700 acres from 15,700 acres last year. If realized, this would be the lowest dry bean harvested acreage since 15,000 acres were harvested in 1926. As of July 31, 29 percent of the dry bean crop was setting pods, compared with 30 percent last year and the five-year average of 29 percent. The dry bean crop was rated 9 percent poor, 43 percent fair, 47 percent good, and 1 percent excellent.

Sugarbeet production is forecast at 853,000 tons, down 6 percent from 903,000 tons produced in 2021. Growers expect to harvest 29,000 acres this year compared with 30,600 acres a year ago. Yields are expected to average 29.4 tons per acre, down from 29.5 tons per acre a year ago. As of July 31, the sugarbeet crop was rated 13 percent fair, 86 percent good, and 1 percent excellent.