January 15, 2015
U.S. winter wheat planting will be unexpectedly lower than even the more pessimistic expectations, falling 2 million acres year on year to 40.45 million acres according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and marking the smallest sown area since before the 2010 harvest. This dip however might not have drastic effects upon output as it is often the least productive fields that are eliminated from being sown first. In 2010, the area sown in winter wheat dropped by 14%, however production fell by only 4%, and when factoring in spring wheat production, total wheat output fell by only 2%. This drop in winter wheat acreage also indicates the likelihood of alternative crops such as corn and soybeans taking up the additional acreage, and forecasts that there is more land available for competition between spring crops.
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