The Shadow
RICHMOND — Six of seven crops raised in Virginia are projected to have yield increases this year.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service in Richmond projects the corn yield to be down while soybean, cotton, peanut and flue-cured, burley and fire-cured tobacco should be up.
Based on Sept. 1 conditions, Virginia’s corn crop is forecast at 52.9 million bushels which is down 5 percent from last year. Average yield is forecast at 143 bushels per acre, down 11 bushels from 2013.
Acreage harvested for grain is estimated at 370,000 which is up 10,000 acres from last year.
Soybean production is forecast at 24.2 million bushels, up 8 percent from last year. Area for harvest is 590,000 acres, the same as last year and yield is forecast at 41 bushels per acre, up 3 from last year.
The cotton yield is estimated at 1,060 pounds per acre, 119 more than last year. If realized, production would be 190,000 bales which is up 26 percent over last year with 86,000 acres harvested.
Peanut yield is forecast at 4,300 pounds per acre, up 300 pounds from 2013. This would be the highest yield on record. Production is forecast at 81.7 million pounds, a 28 percent in-crease.
Flue-cured tobacco’s yield forecast at 2,500 pounds per acre is an increase of 300. Production is forecast at 55 million pounds from 22,000 acres.
Burley tobacco is expected to average 2,150 pounds per acre, up 250 from 2013.
Production is expected to total 5.38 million pounds, an 18 percent increase.
Fire-cured tobacco yields are expected to average 2,250 pounds per acre, an increase of 100 pounds. Production is forecast at 743, pounds, down 1 percent over 2013.
