Colorado Highlights

Colorado principal crop planted acreage, which includes acres planted to all major crops and those expected to be cut for all hay, is down 2 percent from 2017 to 6.14 million acres, according to the June 1 Agricultural Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. 

Colorado corn producers planted 1.46 million acres of corn this year of which they intend to harvest 1.34 million acres for grain, up from 1.30 million acres harvested in 2017. This is an increase of 3 percent from last year’s harvested grain acreage and no change in planted acreage for all purposes. Sorghum plantings, at 400,000 acres, are down 2 percent from the previous year and acreage expected to be harvested for grain, at 350,000 acres, decreased 3 percent. 

Oat seedings are set at 80,000 acres, up 30,000 acres from last year, with producers planning to harvest 10,000 acres for grain, up 1,000 acres from the acreage harvested for grain in 2017. Barley planted area, at 55,000 acres, is 21 percent less than last year’s acreage. Expected harvested acres, at 50,000 acres, are 26 percent below 2017. 

Winter wheat producers planted 2.20 million acres in the fall of 2017 for harvest in 2018, down from 2.25 million acres planted for the previous year’s crop. Acreage expected to be harvested for grain is up 30,000 acres from last year to 2.05 million acres. Spring wheat seedings, at 9,000 acres, are down 1,000 acres compared with a year ago. Acreage for harvest is expected to total 6,000 acres, down from 9,000 acres harvested last year. Proso millet seedings are expected to total 300,000 acres this year, down 6 percent from 2017. 

The area to be harvested for hay is expected to decrease 20,000 acres from a year ago to 1.42 million acres. Alfalfa hay harvested acreage is expected to increase 10,000 acres to 730,000 acres and all other hay harvested acreage is expected to decrease 30,000 acres to 690,000 acres. All sunflower planted area, at 90,000 acres, is 2,000 acres below last year. Oil type varieties totaled 80,000 acres, unchanged from 2017 while non-oil type varieties are set at 10,000 acres, down 2,000 acres from last year. Harvested acres are expected to total 74,000 acres for oil type and 9,000 acres for non-oil. 

Sugarbeet plantings decreased 2,600 acres from last year to 26,800 acres. The expected harvested area, at 26,300 acres, is 2,700 acres below last year. Acres planted to dry beans, at 40,000 acres, are down 31 percent from last year. Harvested acres are expected to total 38,000 acres. Fall potatoes located in the San Luis Valley showed less than a 1 percent decrease in planted acres from 51,900 acres last year to 51,800 acres this year. Fall potatoes located outside the San Luis Valley in Colorado (included in Summer Potatoes prior to 2013) totaled 3,500 planted acres, down 1,300 acres last year. 

UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS 

Corn planted area for all purposes in 2018 is estimated at 89.1 million acres, down 1 percent from last year. Compared with last year, planted acres are down or unchanged in 31 of the 48 estimating States. Area harvested for grain, at 81.8 million acres, is down 1 percent from last year. 

Area planted to sorghum in 2018 is estimated at 6.04 million acres up 7 percent from last year. Kansas and Texas, the leading sorghum-producing States, account for 74 percent of the United States acreage. Acres planted to sorghum in the Delta region continue to decrease. Arkansas planted area is estimated to be the second lowest on record, a record low is estimated in Mississippi, and Louisiana planted area is the lowest since 1962. Growers expect to harvest 5.29 million acres for grain, up 5 percent from last year. 

Area seeded to oats for the 2018 crop year is estimated at 2.89 million acres, up 12 percent from 2017. Compared with last year, planted acreage is up or unchanged in 23 of the 28 major producing States. Increases of 20,000 acres or more are estimated in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Area for harvest, forecast at 1.01 million acres, is up 26 percent from 2017. 

Producers seeded 2.55 million acres of barley for the 2018 crop year, up 3 percent from the previous year. Harvested area, forecast at 2.05 million acres, is up 5 percent from 2017. In Montana, producers seeded 730,000 acres of barley, down 5 percent from the previous year. 

All wheat planted area for 2018 is estimated at 47.8 million acres, up 4 percent from 2017. This represents the second lowest all wheat planted area on record since records began in 1919. The 2018 winter wheat planted area, at 32.7 million acres, is up less than 1 percent from last year and up slightly from the previous estimate. Of this total, about 23.2 million acres are Hard Red Winter, 5.89 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and 3.62 million acres are White Winter. Area planted to other spring wheat for 2018 is estimated at 13.2 million acres, up 20 percent from 2017. Of this total, about 12.7 million acres are Hard Red Spring wheat. Durum planted area for 2018 is estimated at 1.89 million acres, down 18 percent from the previous year. 

Area planted to proso millet in 2018 is estimated at 490,000 acres, up 12,000 acres from 2017. South Dakota planted acreage is up 70 percent from last year, while acreage in Colorado and Nebraska is down. 

Producers intend to harvest 55.1 million acres of all hayin 2018, up 2 percent from 2017. If realized, this will represent the highest total hay harvested area since 2014. The increase in acreage is primarily due to a 5 percent increase in alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures acreage compared to 2017; however, all other hay (excluding alfalfa) is also up 1 percent. Producers in the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains are optimistic about harvesting more acres than last year to replenish hay stocks. 

Area planted to sunflower in 2018 totals 1.46 million acres, up 4 percent from 2017. Despite the increase from last year, this is the second lowest planted area for the Nation since 1976. Compared with last year, acreage declined in five of the eight major sunflower producing States. The Dakotas both showed increases compared with last year, with acreage increases of 22,000 and 68,000 acres in North Dakota and South Dakota, respectively. Planted area of oil type varieties, at 1.31 million acres, is up 8 percent from 2017. In Kansas, planted area of oil type varieties, at 35,000 acres, is the lowest on record. Area intended for non-oil varieties, estimated at 147,000 acres, is down 21 percent from last year and is the lowest on record for the Nation. Record low planted area for non-oil varieties is expected in Colorado, Kansas, and Minnesota 

Area planted to sugarbeets for the 2018 crop year is estimated at 1.12 million acres, down 1 percent from 2017. Harvested area is forecast at 1.09 million acres, down 2 percent from last year. 

Area planted to dry beans in 2018 is estimated at 1.83 million acres, down 12 percent from the previous season. Area harvested is forecast to total 1.78 million acres, also down 12 percent from 2017. Seven of the 11 estimating States show a decrease in total dry bean planted acres from last year. 

Growers planted an estimated 911,700 acres of fall potatoes, up slightly from 2017. Harvested area is forecast at 904,400 acres, slightly above 2017.