COLORADO HIGHLIGHTS

Winter wheat production in Colorado, based on conditions as of July 1, 2020, is forecast at 51.15 million bushels, according to the July 1 Agricultural Yield Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. This forecast is 48 percent below the 98.00 million bushel crop produced last year. Estimated acreage for harvest, at 1.55 million acres, is 450,000 acres less than the 2.00 million acres harvested in 2019. As of July 1, the average yield is forecast at 33.0 bushels per acre, 5.0 bushels below the June 1 forecast and 16.0 bushels below last year’s final yield.

As of June 28, Colorado's winter wheat crop condition was rated 18 percent very poor, 21 percent poor, 31 percent fair, 27 percent good, and 3 percent excellent, compared with 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 17 percent fair, 52 percent good, and 26 percent excellent last year. Winter wheat harvest was 15 percent complete, compared with 1 percent last year and the 5-year average of 5 percent.

Barley production is forecast at 8.25 million bushels, up 15 percent from the 2019 crop. Area harvested is expected to total 63,000 acres, up 11,000 acres from the 52,000 acres harvested last year. Barley yield is forecast at 131.0 bushels per acre, 7.0 bushels per acre below last year.

As of June 28, Colorado’s barley crop condition was rated 5 percent poor, 24 percent fair, 51 percent good, and 20 percent excellent, compared with 1 percent very poor, 3 percent poor, 18 percent fair, 58 percent good, and 20 percent excellent last year. Barley was 62 percent headed, compared with 36 percent last year and the 5-year average of 57 percent.

UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS

Winter wheat production is forecast at 1.22 billion bushels, down 4 percent from the June 1 forecast and down 7 percent from 2019. As of July 1, the United States yield is forecast at 52.0 bushels per acre, down 0.1 bushel from last month and down 1.6 bushels from last year’s average yield of 53.6 bushels per acre. The area expected to be harvested for grain or seed totals 23.4 million acres, unchanged from the Acreage report released on June 30, 2020, but down 4 percent from last year. Hard Red Winter production, at 710 million bushels, is down 4 percent from last month. Soft Red Winter, at 280 million bushels, is down 6 percent from the June forecast. White Winter, at 227 million bushels, is up 1 percent from last month. Of the White Winter production, 15.5 million bushels are Hard White and 212 million bushels are Soft White.

Barley production is forecast at 170 million bushels, up less than 1 percent from 2019. Based on conditions as of July 1, the average yield for the United States is forecast at 76.1 bushels per acre, down 1.6 bushels from last year. A record high yield is forecast in Montana. Area harvested for grain or seed, at 2.23 million acres is unchanged from the Acreage report released on June 30, 2020, but up 2 percent from 2019.