May 3, 2007

State could see largest corn planting in 63 years

RICHMOND—It could be a very busy spring for Virginia corn growers and other farmers.

According to a plantings estimate released earlier this spring by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Virginia farmers plan to plant 520,000 acres of corn this year—up 8 percent from last year’s plantings. Nationwide, corn growers are planning to plant 15 percent more corn this spring, for the largest possible crop since 1944.

“This could be an exceptional year,” said David Coleman, grain manager for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. “But all this is subject to change. Only 27 percent of the crop was planted in Virginia as of late April. That’s within the five-year average for planting progress, but a lot can happen during planting season.”

Just like corn growers across the nation, Virginia farmers are expanding their production to take advantage of record-high corn prices driven by the growing ethanol market.

But Virginia producers of other major row crops are also planting more. Peanut growers could increase their crop by 41 percent—24,000 acres—from 2006 levels. Last year saw one of the smallest Virginia peanut crops on record. But growers have said they’re finally being offered higher prices by shellers this year, as transportation costs rise and out-of-state peanut growers face more disease problems.

Hay acreage is expected to rise to 1.26 million acres, up 20,000 acres from last year, and winter wheat acres could jump 21 percent to 230,000 acres.

Tobacco plantings are also expected to increase slightly, as flue-cured tobacco producers said they would put in 18,000 acres, 6 percent more than they planted last year. Virginia fire-cured and burley tobacco plantings are expected to stay the same as in 2006. Cotton producers are planning to decrease acreage 19 percent to 85,000 acres. That’s consistent with a cotton planting intention drop of 20 percent nationwide.

Soybean acreage in Virginia could decline by 4 percent this year, compared to an 11-percent decline nationwide. If that prediction holds true, it will yield the smallest national soybean crop since 1996.

Coleman said corn growers already have been planning how to store and move the bumper crops that could occur this fall if all corn gets planted on time and the state sees a good growing season.

“If we get a big crop, we’re going to have transportation backups at harvest time,” Coleman said. “We’ve got a system in place that’s only capable of handling a certain number of bushels, so there are going to be bottlenecks, even in Virginia,” which is a corn-deficit state.

Contact Coleman at 804-290-1105; Herman Ellison, Virginia NASS office director, 804-786-3500; or Norm Hyde, VFBF video producer, at 804-290-1146.