High Plains farmers are showing some optimism for wheat this year, with winter wheat acres predicted to rise in many states in the Breadbasket of the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released its 2021 Winter Wheat and Canola Seedings report Jan. 12. Data was collected during the December 2020 Agriculture Survey.
Kansas, with 7.3 million acres, leads the High Plains in intended winter wheat seeded acres for the 2021 Crop Year. That’s up from 6.6 million acres planted in the 2020 Crop Year.
Oklahoma farmers will plant 4.3 million acres in the 2021 Crop Year, up from 4.25 million in 2020. Also increasing in 2021 Crop Year winter wheat acres was Colorado, at 1.95 million acres, up from 1.9 million in 2020.
Texas seedings for the 2021 wheat crop were estimated at 4.8 million acres, down 2% from last year’s 4.9 million acres farmers planted. Nebraska farmers are also reducing winter wheat acres for 2021, with 810,000 acres intended, down from 900,000 in 2020.
Overall, U.S. farmers see optimism for wheat markets in 2021, with a total 31.99 million acres planted for the 2021 crop, up from 30.415 million acres in 2020.
Winter canola
Kansas and Oklahoma farmers are also optimistic for winter canola prospects in 2021.
Oklahoma farmers reported planting 14,000 acres of winter canola for the 2021 crop, up from 12,000 acres last year. Still, it’s less than half of the 35,000 acres Oklahoma farmers planted in 2019.
Kansas farmers planted 8,000 acres for the 2021 winter canola crop, up from the 5,000 acres reported for the 2020 crop. While that’s an increase year-on-year, it’s still a far cry from the 29,000 acres of winter canola Kansas farmers planted in 2019.
Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached at 620-227-1807 or [email protected].
