Colorado Crop Production-July 2021

COLORADO HIGHLIGHTS:

Winter wheat production in Colorado, based on conditions as of July 1, 2021, is forecast at 75.85 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 85 percent above the 41.04 million bushel crop produced last year. Estimated acreage for harvest, at 1.85 million acres, is 330,000 acres more than the 1.52 million acres harvested in 2020. As of July 1, the average yield is forecast at 41.0 bushels per acre, 2.0 bushels per acre above the June 1 forecast and 14.0 bushels above last year’s final yield.

As of July 4, Colorado’s winter wheat crop condition was rated 3 percent very poor, 11 percent poor, 26 percent fair, 44 percent good, and 16 percent excellent, compared with 19 percent very poor, 20 percent poor, 38 percent fair, 20 percent good, and 3 percent excellent last year. Winter wheat harvest was 8 percent complete, compared with 33 percent last year and the 5-year average of 21 percent.

Barley production is forecast at 5.54 million bushels, down 15 percent from the 2020 crop. Area harvested is expected to total 45,000 acres, unchanged from last year. Barley yield is forecast at 123.0 bushels per acre, 22.0 bushels per acre below last year.

As of July 4, Colorado’s barley crop condition was rated 6 percent very poor, 10 percent poor, 29 percent fair, 40 percent good, and 15 percent excellent, compared with 3 percent poor, 23 percent fair, 50 percent good, and 24 percent excellent last year. Barley was 79 percent headed, compared with 80 percent last year and the 5-year average of 77 percent.

UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS:

Winter wheat production is forecast at 1.36 billion bushels, up 4 percent from the June 1 forecast and up 16 percent from 2020. As of July 1, the United States yield is forecast at 53.6 bushels per acre, up 0.4 bushel from last month and up 2.7 bushels from last year’s average yield of 50.9 bushels per acre. Area expected to be harvested for grain or seed totals 25.4 million acres, unchanged from the Acreage report released on June 30, 2021, but up 11 percent from last year. Hard Red Winter production, at 805 million bushels, is up 4 percent from last month. Soft Red Winter, at 362 million bushels, is up 8 percent from the June forecast. White Winter, at 198 million bushels, is down 2 percent from last month. Of the White Winter production, 16.4 million bushels are Hard White and 181 million bushels are Soft White.

Barley production is forecast at 114 million bushels, down 31 percent from 2020. If realized, this would be the lowest production since 1900. Based on conditions as of July 1, the average yield for the United States is forecast at 55.9 bushels per acre, down 21.6 bushels from last year. Barley producers are  expecting the lowest yield since 2002. Area harvested for grain or seed, at 2.04 million acres is

unchanged from the Acreage report released on June 30, 2021, but down 4 percent from 2020.  For a full copy of the Crop Production report, please visit www.nass.usda.gov.