CROP PRODUCTION – AUGUST 1, 2023 COLORADO HIGHLIGHTS

Based on August 1 conditions, corn production in Colorado is forecast at 130.00 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 10 percent from last year’s 118.58-million-bushel crop. The 1.00 million acres expected to be harvested for grain this year is unchanged from the June estimate, but up 20,000 acres from the area harvested a year ago. Average yield, forecast at 130.0 bushels per acre, is up 9.0 bushels from last year. As of July 30, Colorado’s corn crop condition was rated 5 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 21 percent fair, 55 percent good, and 15 percent excellent. Corn silking was 53 percent complete, compared with 49 percent last year and the 5-year average of 68 percent.

Sorghum production in 2023 is forecast at 21.20 million bushels, up 179 percent from the 7.60 million bushels harvested a year earlier.  Growers expect to harvest 400,000 acres this year, up from the 380,000 acres harvested last year. Average yield is forecast at 53.0 bushels per acre, 33.0 bushels above last year’s final yield. As of July 30, the sorghum crop condition was rated 7 percent poor, 15 percent fair, 62 percent good, and 16 percent excellent. Sorghum headed was 26 percent complete, compared with 25 percent last year and the 5-year average of 31 percent.

Barley production is forecast at 5.72 million bushels, up 15 percent from the July 1 forecast and up 29 percent from last year’s crop.  Area for harvest in 2023 is expected to total 44,000 acres, is up 4,000 acres from the 40,000 acres harvested last year. Barley yield is forecast at 130.0 bushels per acre, up 17.0 bushels from July 1 and 19.0 bushels above last year. As of July 30, the barley crop condition was rated 2 percent very poor, 2 percent poor, 18 percent fair, 53 percent good, and 25 percent excellent. Barley turning color was 65 percent complete, compared with 56 percent last year and the 5-year average of 72 percent.

Winter wheat production is forecast at 73.80 million bushels, up 8 percent from the July 1 forecast and up 106 percent from the
35.75-million-bushel crop produced last year. Area for harvest is expected to total 1.80 million acres, 370,000 acres more than the 1.43 million acres harvested in 2022. As of August 1, the average yield is forecast at 41.0 bushels per acre, up 3.0 bushels per acre from the July 1 forecast and 16.0 bushels per acre above last year’s final yield.

Colorado farmers and ranchers expect to harvest 600,000 acres of alfalfa hay this year, down 10,000 acres from 2022. They also expect to harvest 490,000 acres of other hay in 2022, down 40,000 acres from last year. Alfalfa production is forecast at 1.98 million tons, up 12 percent from the 1.77 million tons produced last year. Other hay production is forecast at 1.08 million tons, up 10 percent from the 981,000 tons produced a year ago. Yields are expected to average 3.30 tons per acre for alfalfa hay, and 2.20 tons per acre for other hay, compared with last year’s yields of 2.90 tons per acre for alfalfa hay and 1.85 tons per acre for other hay.

Dry bean production for 2023 is forecast at 567,000 hundredweight, down 16 percent from the 676,000 hundredweight produced a year earlier. Yields are expected to average 1,800 pounds per acre, down from 2,030 pounds per acre last year. Growers expect to harvest 31,500 acres this year, down 1,800 acres from 33,300 acres last year. As of July 30, the dry bean crop condition was rated 2 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 36 percent fair, 51 percent good, and 6 percent excellent. Dry beans blooming was 40 percent complete, compared with 46 percent last year and the five-year average of 57 percent.
Sugarbeet production is forecast at 622,000 tons, up 6 percent from the 588,000 tons produced in 2022. Growers expect to harvest 21,000 acres this year, compared with 20,500 acres a year ago. Yields are expected to average 29.6 tons per acre, down from 28.7 tons a year ago. As of July 30, the sugarbeet crop was rated 26 percent fair, 57 percent good, and 17 percent excellent.
Colorado peach production for 2023 is forecast at 16,500 tons, up 17 percent from last year’s production of 14,050 tons.

UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS

Corn production for grain is forecast at 15.1 billion bushels, up 10 percent from 2022. Based on conditions as of August 1, yields are expected to average 175.1 bushels per harvested acre, up 1.8 bushels from last year. Area harvested for grain, forecast at 86.3 million acres, is unchanged from the June forecast but up 9 percent from the previous year.

Sorghum production is forecast at 393 million bushels, up 109 percent from last year. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 5.94 million acres, unchanged from the previous forecast but up 30 percent from 2022. Based on August 1 conditions, yield is forecast at 66.2 bushels per acre, 25.1 bushels above the 2022 yield of 41.1 bushels per acre.  Barley acreage updates were made in several States based on a thorough review of all available data. Total planted area, at 3.19 million acres is down 5 percent from the previous estimate but up 8 percent from 2022. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 2.40 million acres,
down 5 percent from the Acreage report and down 1 percent from last year. Production is forecast at 180 million bushels, up 3 percent from 2022. Based on conditions as of August 1, the average yield for the United States is forecast at 75.1 bushels per acre, up 3.4 bushels from last year.  All wheat production for grain is forecast at 1.73 billion bushels, down less than 1 percent from the previous forecast but up 5 percent from 2022. Based on August 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 45.8 bushels per harvested acre, down 0.3 bushel from the previous forecast and down 0.7 bushels from 2022. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 37.9 million acres, up less than 1 percent from the previous forecast and up 7 percent from 2022.
Winter wheat production is forecast at 1.23 billion bushels, up 2 percent from the July 1 forecast and up 11 percent from 2022. As of August 1, the United States yield is forecast at 48.1 bushels per acre, up 1.2 bushels from last month and up 1.1 bushels from last year’s average yield of 47.0 bushels per acre. Area expected to be harvested for grain or seed totals 25.5 million acres, down 1 percent from the Acreage report released on June 30, 2023, but up 9 percent from last year. Hard Red Winter production, at 585 million bushels, is visit www.nass.usda.gov.