Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
The latest USDA crop report for North Carolina continues to forecast strong yields for the state’s largest field crops, as long as Hurricane Sandy doesn’t mess them up.
The cotton yield is now forecast to be 910 pounds per acre. That’s a 41-pound increase from the September crop report. Total production is now projected to be 1.1 million bales, which is 7 percent higher than last year despite a decrease in acres. In August, cotton production was forecast to be lower than last year. So the increase in projected yield between September and October has really helped the overall production numbers for cotton.
Yields for corn and peanuts also are promising, and North Carolina is looking at a potential record year for soybeans. The current forecast calls for 35 bushels per acre, which would be 1 bushel better than the record set in 2009. Total soybean production in the state is forecast to be 30 percent higher than last year.
Commissioner Troxler tells Rhonda these yield projections should hold if Hurricane Sandy doesn’t affect the crops terribly.
Perhaps the most dramatic change we’ll see this year is in the flue-cured tobacco crop. Last year’s production was 248 million pounds after the crop in Eastern North Carolina was pounded by Hurricane Irene. This year, the forecast is calling for 394 million pounds, a 59 percent increase. The projected yield is 2,400 pounds per acre, which is 55 percent higher than last year’s yield.
Click below to listen to the Commissioner and Rhonda talk about this crop report and the potential impact from Hurricane Sandy.
[Audio:http://info.ncagr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_10-30.mp3|titles=Today’s Topic for Oct. 30]
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