Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service

Gene Danekas, Director

For Immediate Release: May 12, 2005


Missouri Winter Wheat Production Down 35 Percent From 2004

(COLUMBIA, MO) - "The Missouri winter wheat crop is expected to be the
smallest since 1986," said Gene Danekas, Director, Missouri Agricultural
Statistics. "The decline in production is the result of fewer seeded
acres last fall as well as replanting some fields with poor stands to
other crops."

The State production of winter wheat is forecast at 31.2 million
bushels, based on conditions as of May 1, 2005, down 35 percent from the
2004 crop and 41 percent less than 2 years ago. Yields in the State are
expected to average 52 bushels per acre, unchanged from the 2004 yield.
Harvested acres are forecast at 600,000, down 35 percent from the 2004
acreage level.

U.S. Winter Wheat Production Up 6 Percent

United States winter wheat production is forecast at 1.59 billion
bushels, up 6 percent from 2004. Based on May 1 conditions, the U.S.
yield is forecast at 45.4 bushels per acre, 1.9 bushels more than last
year. Grain area totals 35.1 million acres, up 2 percent from last
season. Hard Red production is up 18 percent from a year ago to 1.01
billion bushels. Soft Red is down 21 percent and totals 302 million
bushels. White production totals 283 million bushels, up 7 percent from
a year ago. 

Wheat yield forecasts in states adjacent to Missouri are as follows:
Arkansas 48; Illinois 59; Kansas 44; Kentucky 57; Nebraska 45; Oklahoma
34 and Tennessee 48.


            MISSOURI WHEAT PRODUCTION AND YIELD BY DISTRICT

       ACRES PLANTED  ACRES HARVESTED      YIELD     PRODUCTION
AREA    2004   2005*    2004   2005*   2004  2005*  2004      2005*
        -thousands-      -thousands-   -bu./acre-    -thousand bu.-

NW       68     40       63     36      53    52     3,339    1,870
NC       88     50       82     46      50    51     4,100    2,350
NE      114     61      108     55      57    55     6,156    3,030
WC      162     73      153     67      49    49     7,497    3,280
C       115     68      101     57      48    56     4,848    3,190
EC       71     58       63     50      47    49     2,961    2,450
SW      117    108       99     90      47    52     4,653    4,680
SC       12      9        8      3      48    50       384      150
SE      303    233      253    196      57    52    14,422   10,200
                                                            
STATE  1,050   700      930    600      52    52    48,360   31,200

*May 1 Forecast