CROP PRODUCTION – MAY 2022

Photo taken in Colorado, United States

COLORADO HIGHLIGHTS:
Winter wheat production in Colorado, based on conditions as of May 1, 2022, is forecast at 49.60 million bushels, according
to the May 1 Agricultural Yield Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural
Statistics Service, USDA. This forecast is 29 percent below last year’s production of 69.56 million bushels but 21 percent
above the 41.04 million bushel crop produced two years ago. Acreage for harvest, forecast at 1.60 million acres, is 280,000
acres less than a year ago. Average yield is forecast at 31.0 bushels per acre, down 6.0 bushels per acre from last year’s
yield. Final yield will largely be determined by the combination of moisture and temperature conditions during May and
June.
As of May 1, Colorado’s winter wheat crop condition was rated 23 percent very poor, 34 percent poor, 31 percent fair, and
12 percent good, compared with 14 percent very poor, 17 percent poor, 37 percent fair, 28 percent good, and 4 percent
excellent last year.
Hay stocks on Colorado farms and ranches as of May 1, 2022 totaled 580,000 tons, up 152 percent from stocks of 230,000
tons on hand last year. Hay production for 2021 was 4.49 million tons, 36 percent higher than 2020 production.
Disappearance from December 1, 2021 to May 1, 2022 was 1.42 million tons, compared with 1.47 million tons the same
period a year earlier.

UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS:
Winter wheat production is forecast at 1.17 billion bushels, down 8 percent from 2021. As of May 1, the United States
yield is forecast at 47.9 bushels per acre, down 2.3 bushels from last year’s average yield of 50.2 bushels per acre. Area
expected to be harvested for grain or seed is forecast at 24.5 million acres, down 4 percent from last year. Hard Red Winter
production, at 590 million bushels, is down 21 percent from a year ago. Soft Red Winter, at 354 million bushels, is down 2
percent from 2021. White Winter, at 230 million bushels, is up 38 percent from last year. Of the White Winter production,
15.7 million bushels are Hard White and 214 million bushels are Soft White.
All hay stored on United States farms as of May 1, 2022, totaled 16.8 million tons, down 7 percent from May 1, 2021.
Disappearance from December 1, 2021 – May 1, 2022, totaled 62.2 million tons, down 6 percent from the same period a
year earlier.
For a full copy of the Crop Production report, please visit www.nass.usda.gov