GEORGIA FARM REPORT April 2, 1996 Volume 96-Number 07 I 1 GEORGIA 'AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE Stephens Federal Building Suite 320 Athens, Georgia 30613 Phone: (706)546-2236 GEORGIA'S 1996 PROSPECTIVE P L A N T I N G r - For the first time in 7 years, Georgia farmers are planning a decrease in cotton acreage. A survey of grower's planting intentions during the first two weeks of March indicate that peanut acreage is also expected to decline, for the third consecutive year. Growers are planning significant expansions in corn, sorghum, wheat and soybeans, with more modest increases expected for tobacco and oats. The new farm bill, commodity prices and available contracts, weather conditions and even this report will affect producers final planting decisions. COTTON ACREAGE DOWN 8 PERCENT Cotton producers plan to decrease their plantings to 1,380,000 acres for 1996, 8 percent or 120,000 less than in 1995. If these plans hold true, cotton acreage in Georgia will show the first reduction since 1989. Although cotton markets continue favorable, profit potentials for several other grain crops are causing farmers to look at alternatives. PEANUTS DOWN 6 PERCENT Peanut acreage this year is expected to decline by 6 percent to 560,000 acres, according to growers plans in early March. This would be the third year in a row of declining peanut acreage in Georgia and would be the smallest acreage in 14 years. With a decrease in the support price and the uncertainty in the quota, many producers are looking to reduce peanut acreage. CORN PLANTINGS JUMP 45 PERCENT Corn plantings in Georgia for 1996 are expected to total, 580,000 acres, a significant jump of 45 percent or 180,000 acres from the previous year's record low. Growers, responding to the highest price in several years, are planning the first acreage increase in four years. The expected plantings would still be 20,000 acres less than two years ago. Corn planting has been delayed this spring by cold, damp weather. As of March 24, only 14 percent had been planted, about a week behind normal progress. TOBACCO UP 7 PERCENT Tobacco growers also are planning an expansion in acreage from last year, following an increase in the effective poundage quota. Acreage for 1996 is expected to total 45,000, seven percent above 1995 and 22 percent more than two years earlier. Under marketings from the 1995 crop accounted for the increase in the effective quota. Transplanting is off to a slow start because of the cold conditions with only 4 percent completed as of March 24. SOYBEAN ACRES TO INCREASE BY 16 PERCENT Soybean acreage for 1996 is expected to increase by 16 percent or 50,000 acres to 370,000 acres in Georgia. If these early projections prove accurate, soybean acreage will still be the second lowest in the past 30 years. 1996 GEORGIA PROSPECTIVE PLANTlNGS Crop Planted Acreaae Intended 1994 1995 1996 1996 as % of 1995 -Thousands- Percent Corn, All 600 400 580 145 Cotton 885 1,500 1,380 92 Hay. AII" 650 600 600 100 oats2' 80 75 80 107 Peanuts 652 595 560 94 Sorghum, All 65 55 80 145 Soybeans 520 320 370 116 Sweetpotatoes 2.5 3 2.5 83 TObacco" 37 42 45 107 meatz 440 350 400 114 11 A c r e a g e harvested 2 / l n c l u d e s a c r e a g e + ! a n t e d ~ r e c e d ~ nfagll 1996 UNITED STATES PROSPECTIVE PLANTINGS Crop Planted Acreaae Intend5d 1994 1995 1996 1996 as Oh of 1995 -Thousands- Corn 79,175 Sorghum 9,827 Oats 6,639 Barley 7,159 All Wheat 70,349 Wnter M e a t 49,197 Soybeans 61,670 Peanuts 1,641 .O All Cotton 13,720 1 All Hay 58,735 Swee~potatoes 86.1 All ~ o b a c c o 21 671. I 71,245 9,454 6,336 6,689 69,177 48,726 62,575 1,538.5 16,932.4 59,779 88.6 675.3 79,920 10,626 5,298 7,242 73,108 52,006 62,478 1,459.0 15,246 5 59,037 90.0 71 9.8 Percent 112 112 84 108 106 107 100 95 90 99 10~ - 2 107 11 I n t e n d e d p l a n t ~ n g sIn 1 9 9 6 a s l n d l c a t e d b y r e p o r t s from farmers. 21 Area harvested AGRICULTURAL STATISTICIAN AND GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GEORGIA HOG INVENTORY DOWN 5 PERCENT All hogs and pigs on Georgia farms as of March 1 , 1996, are estimated at 900,000 head, 5 percent below a year ago and 3 percent below the previous quarter. Breeding inventory at 130,000 head, is 4 percent below a year ago but unchanged from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory at 770,000 head, is 6 percent below a year ago and 4 percent below December I , 1995. The December 1995-February 1996 pig crop totaled 336,000 head, 7 percent less than a year earlier. Pigs saved per litter averaged 8.00 compared with 7.85 last year. Georgia producers intend to farrow 45,000 sows during the March-May 1996 quarter, 8 percent below the previous year. During June-August 1996, 43,000 sows are expected to farrow, down 4 percent from a year earlier. U.S. HOG INVENTORY UP SLIGHTLY U.S. inventory o f all hogs and pigs on i arch 1 , 1996, was 58.6 million head. This was slightly above March 1995 but 2 percent below the December 1, 1995, inventory. Breeding inventory, at 6.95 million head, was down 1 percent from March 1 , 1995, and down 2 percent from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 51.6 million head, was slightly above March 1 , 1995, but 2 percent below December 1 , 1995. The December 1995-February 1996 U.S. pig crop was a record high 24.1 million head, 1 percent more than 1995 and up 3 percent from the same period in 1994. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.86 million head, down 1 percent from both last year and two years ago. Pigs saved per litter were a record high 8.42 compared to 8.27 during the same period a year ago. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 6.92 for operations with 1-99 hogs to 8.80 for operations with 2,000 or more hogs and pigs. U.S. hog producers intend to have 3.21 million sows farrow during the March-May 1996 quarter, 1 percent less than the actual farrowings during the same period last year and 5 percent below 1994. Intended farrowings for June-August 1996, at 3.02 million sows, are slightly above 1995 but 3 percent below the 1994 period. 17 STATE INVENTORY DOWN SLIGHTLY The 17 Quarterly states, with an inventory of 54.0 million on March I , 1996,were down slightly from last year but 2 percent above March 1, 1994. These 17 states accounted for approximately 92 percent of the total U.S. hog and pig inventory. In the 17 ~ u a r t e r l y States, the December-February pig crop was 22.3 million head, up 2 percent from last year and up 4 percent from two vears aao. There were 2.64 million SOWS that farrowed du*ing December-February, Slightly less than the previous Years. ~ o w s faflowing during D e c e m b e r - ~ e b r u a r y1996 in the 17 States averaged 8.45 pigs per litter, compared to 8.29 during the same period a year ago. HOGS AND PIGS--INVENTORY NUMBER SOWS FARROWING AND PIG CROP . I GEORGIA AND 17 QUARTERLY STATES ", AND UNITED STATES-1 995-1996 Georgia 1996 as % 17 States l~;;,",:" United States 1996 as % Item 1995 1996 of 1995 1995 1996 1995 1996 of 1995 -1,000 Head- Percent -1,000 Head- Percent -1.000 Head- Percent MARCH 1 INVENTORY All Hogs and Pigs 950 900 Kept for Breeding 135 130 Market 81 5 770 95 54,070 54,010 96 6,360 6,400 94 47,710 47,610 MARKET HOGS AND PlGS BY WEIGHT GROUPS Under 60 Pounds 60-119 Pounds 120-179 Pounds 180 Pounds & Over SOWS FARROWING December a-~ebruary ~arch-~ay~' ~ e c e mber z-~ay~' June-August Septem ber-November June-Novem ber PIG CROP December '-February 361 336 March-May 397 December 2 - ~ a y 758 June-August 367 Septem ber-Novem ber 359 June-November 726 93 21,927 22,303 102 25,051 46.978 23,028 22,559 45,587 23,860 27,120 50.980 25,007 24,480 49,487 24,063 101 PIGS PER LITTER December "-February March-May2, December -May June-August Septern ber-Novem ber June-Novem ber --NUMBER- 7 85 8 00. 102 8 10 7 98 8 15 8 35 8 25 --NUMBER- 8 29 8 45 102 8 34 8 32 8 34 8 35 --NUMBER- 827 , 8.42 102 8 32 8 29 8 32 8 33 8 34 8 32 11 AR G A IL IN I A KS KY MI MN MO NC NE OH OK PA SD,WI 21December p r e c e d ~ n gyear 31 lntentlons for 1996 41 Actdal f a r r o w ~ n g sfor December-February 1996 p i u s r n t e n t ~ o ntidr ~ a r c h - 1~9a96~ 2 GEORGIA PRICES RECEIVED The Georgia Prices Received All Commodity Index for March was 145 percent of the 1977 average, unchanged from the previous month and 15 points (11.5 percent) more than a year ago. Price gains from February for corn, hogs, calves and table eggs offset price declines for cotton, beef cattle, other chickens and broilers. Hatching egg prices were unchanged. U.S. PRICES RECEIVED INDEX UP 2 POINTS The All Farm Products lndex of Prices Received in March was 108 based on 1990-92= 100, up 2 points (1.9 percent) from February. Price gains from February for corn, lettuce, tomatoes, and hogs more than offset price declines for broilers, cattle, and several fruit commodities. The seasonal changes in the mix of commodities farmers sell also affect the overall index level. However, these changes were essentially offsetting in March. Compared with March 1995, the Ail Farm Products lndex was 9 points (9.1 percent) higher. Price increases from March 1995 for corn, hogs, soybeans, and wheat more than offset price decreases for cattle, calves, and several vegetables. INDEX NUMBER-GEORGIA AND UNITED STATES Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. 1995 1995 1996 1996 GEORGIA (1977= 100) Prices Received All Commodities 130 130 145 Crops 125 126 150 Livestock 8 Products 134 134 141 UNITED STATES (1990-92= 100) Prices Received 97 99 106 " Prices-Paid I' Ratro 108 108 113 90 92 94 145 151 ' 140 108 113 96 11 P r l c e s ald I n d e x e s ( 1 9 9 0 - 9 2 = 1 0 0 ) p u b l s h e d m o n t h l y b e g l n n l n g J a n u a r y 1 9 9 6 ~ n B e x e sfor 1 9 9 5 were constructed for hlstorlcal z o m p a r l s o n 21 Ratlo of Index of prlces r e c e ~ v e dby f a r m e r s to ~ n d e xof p r ~ c e sp a ~ d Commodity Winter Wheat Oats Corn Cotton Cottonseed Tobacco Soybeans All Hay, Baled2' Hogs Sows Barrows & Gilts Beef cattle3' cows4/ Steers & Heifers Calves All ~ i l k ~ l ~urke~s" Chickens Excl. Broilersz1 Com'l Broilers7/ ECJ~S~, 1 1 ~ ' ~ ' able" PRICES RECEIVED BY FARMERS--MARCH 15,1996 WITH COMPARISONS I Price Georaia I United States Per Mar. ~eb': Mar. 15, Mar. Feb. Unit 1995 1996 1996 1995 1996 Mar. 15, 1996 . c e p t A k T X 81 Average'of a l l e g g s sold b y f a i m e r s including h a t c h t n g e g g s h n d e y g e sold at retall - Month STOCKS OF PEANUTS AND SPECIFIED PRODUCTS AT MONTH'S END-1995-1996 " Roasting Stock Farmer Stock Equivalen& Ending-_-- Farmer Stocks Shelled Peanuts 2' (In Shell) -1,000 Pounds- Shelled Peanuts -T- otal 1995 Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug . Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 1996 Jan. Feb. 1,787,981 1,465,747 497,002 51 2,525 39,732 49,672 661,013 681,658 2,488,726 2,197,077 11 E x c l u d e s stocks o l f a r m s I n c l u d e s stocks o w n e d by or held for a c c o u n t of CCC In c ~ m m e r c l a lstorages F a r m e r stock on n e t w e ~ g h tb a c ~ s 21 I n c l u d e s shelled e d ~ b l eg r a d e s , s h e l l e d 011stock a n d shelled s e e d (untrea!ed) 31 Actual f a r n e r stock p l u s roastlng stack p l u s shelled p e a n u t s X 1 33 3 GEORGIA GRAIN STOCKS Georgia soybeans stored in all positions on March 1 , 1996 totaled 8.63 million bushels, 22 percent less than at the same time a year earlier. Soybeans held in off farm storage facilities amounted to 8.03million b u s h e l s , 12 p e r c e n t l e s s t h a n M a r c h 1 , 1995. Soybeans stored o n t h e farm o n March 1 , 1996 totaled 600,000bushels, only 32 percent of 1.9million bushels on hand a year earlier. Georgia wheat stored in off farm positions on March 1 , 1996 is estimated at 2.21 million bushels, 8 percent more than the 2.05 million bushels on hand March 1,1996. Oat stocks stored off Georgia farms on March 1 , 1996 totaled 156,000 bushels, compared with 121,000 bushels in off farm positions a year earlier. Corn stocks held off the farm in Georgia on March 1 , 1996 totaled 7.01 million bushels, 14 percent less than the previous year. GEORGIA GRAIN S T O C K S 4 A R C H 1,1995-1 996 Grain On Farms Mar. 1, Mar. 1, 1995 1996 Off Farms 'I Mar. 1, Mar. 1, 1995 1996 All Positions Mar. 1, Mar. 1, 1995 1996 -1,000 Bushels- Corn Soybeans Wheat Oats Sorghum Barley 1,900 8,201 600 9,173 2,048 121 7,014 8,029 2,213 156 18 34 11,073 11 I n c l u d e s stocks at m ~ l l s elevators w a r e h o u s e s terrnlnals a n d processors ' N o t p u b l i s h e d to avoid d l s c l o s ~ n gindlvldual operations 8,629 34 UNITED STATES STOCKS United States corn stocks in all positions on March 1 , 1996,totaled 3.80 billion bushels, 32 percent below a year earlier. Of the total stocks, 2.00 billion bushels million bushels, down 33 percent from last March, while off-farm stocks, at 602 million, are down 5 percent. are stored on farms, 43 percent below last year. Off-farm stocks, at 1.80billion bushels, are 14 percent below a year earlier. T h e U S . a l l wheat s t o c k s o n M a r c h 1 , 1996, is est~rnatedat 826 m i l l ~ o nbushels in all pos~tionsd, own 1 5 percent from March 1 , 1995. This is the lowest March 1 total since the reference date was changed in t h e 1986-87 market~ngyear. Farm stocks are 224 Soybeans stored across the nation in all positions on March I , 1996,totaled 1 .I9 billion bushels, 13 percent below holdings a year earlier. On-farm stocks, at 512 million bushels, were 19 percent below last March and accounted for 43 percent o f the March 1, 1996, holdings. Off-farm stocks totaled 678 million bushels, 8 percent below last March. Grain UNITED STATES GRAIN S T O C K S 4 A R C H 1,1995-1 996 On Farms Mar. 1, Mar. 1, Off Farms Mar. 1, Mar. 1 , 1995 1996 1995 1996 All Positions Mar. 1, Mar. 1, 1995 1996 -1,000 Bushels- Corn Wheat Soybeans Barley Oats Sorghum 3,502,000 335,250 635,300 86,800 78,400 74,620 2,000,200 223,550 512,000 58,825 57,050 33.000 2,089,693 633,823 734,898 106,156 70.575 206,312 1,798,598 602,290 677.756 117,607 55,250 129,271 5,591,693 969,073 1,370,198 192,956 148,975 280,932 3,798,798 825,840 1, I89,756 176,432 1 12,300 162,271 I E A '11 I n c l u d e s stocks at mills, elevators, w a r e h o u s e s , terrnlnals a n d processors G e o r g ~ aF a r m R e p o r t ( I S N N 0 7 4 4 - 7 2 8 0 is p u b l i s h e d semi-monthly by t h e G e o r g ~ aAgricultural S t a t ~ s t i c sS e r v ~ c e A t h e n s GA 3 0 6 1 3 - 5 0 9 9 S e c o n d class p o s t a g e p a i d at A t h e n s G A S u b s c r ~ p t ~ ofne e 4 1 0 per year e x c e t f r e e to d a t a c o n t r ~ b u t o r s P O S T M A S T E R S e n d a d d r e s s c h a n g e s to G e o r g i a Agricultural S t a t ~ s t i c s S e r v ~ c e S t e p h e n s F e d e r a l B u ~ l d ~ n Sgu l t e 3 2 0 Athens 30613 5099 1 GEORGIA SECOND-CLASS AGRICULTURAL POSTAGE PAID AT STATISTICS ATHENS, GA 30613 SERVICE STEPHENS FEDERAL BLDG. 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