The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released their Planting Intentions report showing Virginia farmers intend to plant more soybeans, but less corn this year.
“The March 1, Intentions Survey showed soybean farmers intend to plant 10,000 more acres than in 2016,” said Herman Ellison, NASS Virginia state statistician. “Acres of corn intended to plant is down 10,000 acres from last year, but the acreage came in the same as 2009.”
Soybean acreage in Virginia is expected to total 620,000 acres, up 10,000 acres from the previous year. Farmers intend to plant 480,000 acres of corn.
Other Planting Intentions for Virginia
- Upland cotton acreage to be planted is forecast at 80,000, up 7,000 acres from 2016.
- Peanut acreage is expected to total 23,000 acres, up 2,000 acres from the previous year.
- Flue-cured tobacco growers intend to set 21,000 acres, down 1,000 acres from 2016.
- Producers intend to set 250 acres of dark-fired tobacco, down 10 acres from the previous year.
- Acreage set to burley tobacco was estimated at 1,100 acres, down 100 acres from 2016.
- Barley seeded by farmers in the fall of 2016 totaled 38,000 acres, up 5,000 acres from the previous year.
- Winter wheat seeded by farmers in the fall of 2016 totaled 190,000 acres, down 20,000 acres from the previous year.
- Farmers intend to harvest 1.28 million acres of all hay, up 65,000 from 2016.
“I would like to thank all the farmers for taking the time out of your busy schedules to respond the March Agricultural Survey,” Ellison added. “The more farmers we have responding to our surveys, the more accurate data we can provide for the agricultural industry. I wish them a very prosperous and healthy year.”
-Submitted by Dawn Eischen