WASHINGTON — U.S. 2011 corn production was forecast at 12,914,085,000 bus, up 4% from 12,446,865,000 bus in 2010, soybean production was forecast at 3,055,882,000 bus, down 8% from 3,329,341,000 bus last year, and all wheat production was forecast at 2,076,534,000 bus, down 1% from 2,106,119,000 bus in July and down 6% from 2,208,391,000 bus in 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its Aug. 11 Crop Production report.
If realized, corn production still would be the third largest corn crop on record, the U.S.D.A. said. It was the first U.S.D.A. survey-based forecast of the season for corn, soybeans and other row crops.
The U.S.D.A. corn number was below the average pre-report trade estimate of 13.08 billion bus, the soybean number was below the pre-report average of about 3.18 billion bus and the U.S.D.A. all wheat number was slightly below the average analyst estimate of 2.08 billion bus.
Based on Aug. 1 conditions, corn yield was forecast at 153 bus an acre, up 0.2 bus from 152.8 bus an acre in 2010 and the fourth highest on record, the U.S.D.A. said. Harvested area was forecast at 84.4 million acres, down slightly from 84.9 million acres in the previous forecast but up 4% from 81.4 million acres in 2010.
Soybean yield was forecast at 41.4 bus an acre, down 2.1 bus from 43.5 bus an acre in 2010. Harvested area was forecast at 73.8 million acres, down slightly from 74.3 million acres forecast previously and down 4% from 76.6 million acres in 2010.
All wheat yield was forecast at 45.2 bus an acre, up 0.6 bus from 44.6 bus an acre in July but down 1.2 bus from 46.4 bus an acre in 2010. Harvested area was forecast at 45.9 million acres, down 3% from 47.2 million acres in July and down 4% from 47.6 million acres in 2010.
Production of spring wheat other than durum was forecast at 521,975,000 bus, down 5% from 550,660,000 bus forecast in July and down 15% from 615,975,000 bus a year ago. The average yield was forecast at 42.5 bus an acre, up 0.8 bu from 41.7 bus an acre in July but down 3.6 bus from 46.1 bus in 2010. Harvested area was forecast at 12,270,000 acres, down 7% from 13,220,000 acres in July and down 8% from 13,359,000 acres a year ago.
Production of hard red spring wheat was forecast at 474,540,000 bus, down 6% from 504,364,000 bus in July and down 17% from 569,975,000 bus in 2010. Soft white spring wheat outturn was forecast at 38,429,000 bus, up 3% from 37,328,000 bus in July and up 5% from 36,744,000 bus in 2010. Hard white spring wheat production was forecast at 9,006,000, bus, up slightly from 8,968,000 bus in July but down 3% from 9,256,000 bus a year ago.
Durum outturn was forecast at 57,130,000 bus, down 10% from 63,720,000 bus in July and down 47% from 107,180,000 bus in 2010. Based on Aug. 1 conditions, durum yield was forecast at 42.4 bus an acre, up 3.7 bus from 38.7 bus an acre in July and unchanged from 2010, the U.S.D.A. said. Harvested area was forecast at 1,347,000 acres, down 18% from 1,647,000 acres in July and down 47% from 2,529,000 acres a year ago.
The U.S.D.A. forecast winter wheat production at 1,497,429,000 bus, up slightly from 1,491,739,000 bus in July and up 1% from 1,485,236,000 bus in 2010. Winter wheat yield was forecast at 46.3 bus an acre based on conditions as of Aug. 1, up 0.1 bus from 46.2 bus in July but down 0.5 bus from 46.8 bus an acre last year. Harvested area was forecast at 32,307,000 acres, unchanged from July and up 2% from 31,749,000 acres a year ago.
Hard red winter wheat production was forecast at 794,388,000 bus, up slightly from 791,250,000 bus in July but down 22% from 1,018,337,000 bus in 2010.
Soft red winter production was forecast at 451,981,000 bus, down 1% from 457,670,000 bus in July but up 90% from 237,804,000 bus in 2010.
Soft white winter wheat outturn was forecast at 239,308,000 bus, up 3% from 231,248,000 bus in July and up 11% from 215,599,000 bus in 2010. Hard white outturn was forecast at 11,752,000 bus, up 2% from 11,571,000 bus in July but down 13% from 13,496,000 bus last year.
In its first survey-based rice crop forecast of the season, the U.S.D.A. estimated 2011 U.S. rice production at 188,088,000 cwts, down 23% from 243,104,000 cwts in 2010.
Sorghum production in 2011 was forecast at 240,638,000 bus, down 30% from 345,395,000 bus in 2010 and the lowest since 1956, the U.S.D.A. said.
The U.S.D.A. forecast 2011 oats production at 57,489,000 bus, up 2% from 56,551,000 bus in July, down 29% from 81,190,000 bus in 2010 and the lowest on record.