s 



338.1 



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1995 



P 



^r^tgr,!, stsie utvai> 



3 0864 1004 8437 



•production 



Annual Summary 1996 



Released: March 17, 1997 



SraiT DnClIMENTS COLL 



APR n ■■ 1997 



T13 



MONTANA STATE LIE:?ARY 

 1515 C. eth AVE. 



HELENA, M^^^^/.^;A ^ozzo 



I TAOC 



MONTANA 

 AGRICULTURAL 

 STATISTICS SERVICE 



301 South Park 

 Drawer 10033 

 Helena, MT 59626 

 Phone: (406)441-1240 

 (800)835-2612 

 e-mail: nass-mt(5)nass.usda.KOV 



EEI 



is.usda.KOV 



Montana All Wheat 



Million Bushels 

 2S0 



200 



Million Acres 



.i--^ rr-^m B 



Million Bushels 



Montana Barley 



Million Acres 



1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 

 Production Harvested Acres 



1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 

 Production Harvested Acres 



r^NNUAL CROP PRODUCTION 

 -1996 



Montana wheat growers 

 planted the largest wheat acreage 

 on record for the 1996 season. A 

 more lenient farm bill and strong 

 wheat prices were the major 

 factors for the increase. 

 Producers planted 6.63 miUion 

 acres of wheat, up 16% from 

 1995 and up nearly 5% from the 

 previous record in 1989. What 

 started out to be another record 

 production year was hurt by 

 drought-like conditions across the 

 state beginning in July. Yield 

 forecast dropped monthly as very 

 little rain feU. Total all wheat 

 production was estimated at 

 176.71 miUion bushels, ofT 10% 

 from last year's very large 

 output. 



Growers were able to 

 plant a more normal winter 

 ^ wheat acreage in the fall of 1995 

 'with better seeding conditions 

 than the last few years. Winter 

 wheat planted acreage was set at 

 2.15 miUion acres with growers 

 able to harvest 1.98 million acres. 



Winter wheat planted acreage 

 was up 650,000 acres from the 

 1995 season. Yield was estimated 

 at 32 bushels per acre, down 8 

 bushels from last year. Total 

 production was set at 63.36 

 miUion bushels, up 16% from last 

 year only because of the large 

 increase in acreage. 



Other spring wheat 

 planted acreage was set at 4.2 

 miUion acres, the largest acreage 

 since 1953 when other spring 

 wheat and durum wheat were 

 recorded together. Harvested 

 acreage was set at 4.1 miUion 

 acres. Total production was 

 estimated at 106.6 miUion 

 bushels, the third largest other 

 spring wheat crop on record, but 

 again only due to the large 

 amount of acreage planted. Yield 

 for other spring wheat was set at 

 26 bushels per acre, down 9 

 bushels from last year. 



Dunmi wheat planted 

 acreage was estimated at 280,000 

 acres planted, with 270, 000 

 harvested. Planted acreage is up 

 4% from last year. Total 



production was 6.75 miUion 

 bushels, down 15% from last 

 year, yields averaged 25 bushels 

 per acre, down 5 bushels from 

 last year. 



Barley production totaled 

 51.6 miUion bushels, down 17% 

 from last year. Yields averaged 

 43 bushels per acre, down 9 

 bushels from 1995. Growers 

 planted 1.3 miUion acres and 

 harvested 1.2 miUion acres—both 

 acreages are unchanged from 

 1995. 



Oat production was set at 

 its lowest level since 1889, with 

 total production at 2.0 mUlion 

 bushels. Total production was 

 down 58% from a year ago. 

 Planted acreage was set at 

 100,000 acres, the lowest level 

 since records began for planted 

 acres in 1929, and down 45,000 

 from last year. Farmers 

 harvested 50,000 acres, the 

 smallest acreage since 1885. 

 Yields averaged 40 bushels per 

 acre, down 19 bushels from last 

 year. 



