Annual Crop Summary– 2015 – Colorado Highlights

The 2015 corn for grain crop was estimated at 134.90 million bushels, 9 percent below last year’s production of 147.46 million bushels, according to the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. The average yield of 142.0 bushels per acre was 4.0 bushel per acre below the yield realized last year. Area harvested for grain in 2015, at 950,000 acres, was 60,000 acres below last year. Acreage cut for corn silage was estimated at 120,000 acres, up 10,000 acres from last year, with production estimated at 3.06 million tons, compared with 2.75 million tons produced last year.

Sorghum for grain production was estimated at 22.00 million bushels, up 162 percent from the previous year. Average yield was estimated at 55.0 bushels per acre, up 25.0 bushels per acre from last year. Producers harvested 400,000 acres for grain, up 120,000 acres from last year’s area harvested. Acreage cut for sorghum silage was estimated at 10,000 acres, unchanged from last year, with production estimated at 140,000 tons compared with 110,000 tons produced last year.

Oat seedings in Colorado totaled 45,000 acres, unchanged from last year. Producers harvested 10,000 acres for grain or seed, up 1,000 acres from 2014. Oat production totaled 800,000 bushels in 2015, up 48 percent from last year. Oat yield is 80.0 bushels per acre in 2015, up 20.0 bushels per acre from the previous year.

Colorado’s barley seeded area, at 65,000 acres, is up 8,000 acres from last year. Harvested area, at 63,000 acres, is up 9,000 acres from 2014. Barley yield, at 130.0 bushels per acre, is up 6.0 bushels per acre from last year. Barley production in 2015 is estimated at 8.19 million bushels, up 22 percent from the previous year.

All wheat production in Colorado, estimated at 79.64 million bushels, is down 11 percent from 2014. All wheat yield was 37.1 bushels per acre, down 1.0 bushel per acre from a year ago. Winter wheat producers seeded 2.40 million acres in the fall of 2014 for harvest in 2015, down from 2.75 million acres seeded for the previous year’s crop. Acreage harvested for grain decreased 210,000 acres from last year to 2.14 million acres in 2015. Winter wheat production is estimated at 79.18 million bushels, down 11 percent from last year. Winter wheat yield, at 37.0 bushels per acre, is down 1.0 bushel per acre from last year. Spring wheat seedings, at 8,000 acres, are down 1,000 acres from last year. Acreage harvested totaled 7,000 acres, down from 8,000 acres harvested last year. Spring wheat production is estimated at 455,000 bushels, down 11 percent from last year. Spring wheat yield, at 65.0 bushels per acre, is up 1.0 bushel per acre from last year.

Proso millet production in the state was estimated at 8.97 million bushels, up from 8.13 million bushels produced last year. Farmers harvested 260,000 acres of proso millet, up 10,000 acres from the previous year. Yield increased 2.0 bushels per acre from last year to 34.5 bushels per acre.

All hay production for 2015 is estimated at 4.30 million tons, up 20 percent from the 2014 total. Alfalfa hay production was estimated at 2.87 million tons from 700,000 acres harvested, up 354,000 tons from 2014. Average yield for the 2015 crop was 4.10 tons per acre, 0.70 ton per acre above last year. All other hay production totaled 1.43 million tons from 750,000 acres harvested, up 375,000 tons from 2014. The average yield of 1.90 tons per acre was 0.15 ton per acre above last year. New seedings of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures in Colorado were estimated at 85,000 acres, down 11 percent from 2014.

As of December 1, producers in Colorado were storing 1.90 million tons of all hay, up 6 percent from the 1.80 million tons stored last year. 

All sunflower production was estimated at 85.20 million pounds from 69,000 acres harvested. Yield was estimated at 1,235 pounds per acre, down from the 1,528 pounds attained last year. Production of oil varieties increased 53 percent from the previous year to 68.40 million pounds and production of non-oil varieties decreased 20 percent to 16.80 million pounds.

The state’s sugarbeet crop of 958,000 tons for 2015 was up 4 percent from the 917,000 tons produced in 2014. Producers harvested 27,300 acres in 2015, down from 29,300 acres in 2014. Average yield was estimated at 35.1 tons per acre, 3.8 tons per acre above 2014.

Colorado potato growers produced 22.86 million hundredweight of potatoes this year, down 1 percent from last year’s crop. Average yield, at 394 hundredweight per acre, was up 6 hundredweight per acre from last year’s yield. Harvested area of 58,000 acres this year was 1,800 acres less than last year’s harvested area.

Dry edible bean production was set at 846,000 hundredweight, 1 percent above the 2014 crop of 835,000 hundredweight. Average yield was estimated at 1,820 pounds per acre, 80 pounds below last year. Harvested area, at 46,500 acres, was 2,500 acres more than last year.

Winter wheat seedings last fall for the 2016 crop year are estimated at 2.25 million acres, down 6 percent from last year.

UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS

Corn for grain production is estimated at 13.6 billion bushels, down slightly from the November forecast and down 4 percent from the 2014 estimate. The average yield in the United States is estimated at 168.4 bushels per acre. This is down 0.9 bushel from the November forecast and 2.6 bushels below the 2014 average yield of 171.0 bushels per acre. Area harvested for grain is estimated at 80.7 million acres, up slightly from the November forecast but down 3 percent from the 2014 acreage. Corn silage production is estimated at 127 million tons for 2015, down less than 1 percent from 2014. The United States silage yield is estimated at 20.4 tons per acre, up 0.3 ton from 2014. Area harvested for silage is estimated at 6.22 million acres, down 2 percent from a year ago.

Sorghum grain production in 2015 is estimated at 597 million bushels, up slightly from the November forecast and up 38 percent from the 2014 total. Planted area for 2015 is estimated at 8.46 million acres, up 19 percent from the previous year. Area harvested for grain, at 7.85 million acres, is up 23 percent from 2014. Average grain yield, at 76.0 bushels per acre, is down 1.7 bushels from the previous forecast but up 8.4 bushels from 2014 and represents a record high yield for the United States. Sorghum silage production is estimated at 4.48 million tons, up 9 percent from 2014. Area harvested for silage is estimated at 306,000 acres, down 3 percent from the previous year. Silage yields averaged 14.6 tons per acre, up 1.5 tons per acre from 2014.

Oats production in 2015 is estimated at 89.5 million bushels, up 27 percent from the revised 2014 total of 70.2 million bushels. Yield is estimated at 70.2 bushels per acre, up 2.3 bushels from the previous year, and represents a new record high for the United States. Harvested area, at 1.28 million acres, is 23 percent above the previous year.

Barley production is estimated at 214 million bushels, up 18 percent from the revised 2014 total. Average yield per acre, at 68.9 bushels, is down 3.8 bushels from the previous year. Producers seeded 3.56 million acres in 2015, up 17 percent from last year. Harvested area, at 3.11 million acres, is up 25 percent from 2014.

All wheat production totaled 2.05 billion bushels in 2015, up 1 percent from the 2014 total. Area harvested for grain totaled 47.1 million acres, up 2 percent from the previous year. The United States yield is estimated at 43.6 bushels per acre, down 0.1 bushel from the previous year. Winter wheat production for 2015 totaled 1.37 billion bushels, down less than 1 percent from the 2014 total. The United States yield, at 42.5 bushels per acre, is down 0.1 bushel from 2014. Area harvested for grain is estimated at 32.3 million acres, down slightly from the previous year. Other spring wheat production for 2015 is estimated at 599 million bushels, up less than 1 percent from the 2014 total. Harvested area totaled 12.9 million acres, up 2 percent from 2014. The United States yield is estimated at 46.3 bushels per acre, down 0.4 bushel below the 2014 average yield. Of the total production, 564 million bushels are Hard Red Spring wheat, up 2 percent from 2014.

Production of proso millet in 2015 totaled 14.2 million bushels, compared with the 13.5 million bushels produced in 2014. Area planted to proso millet in the United States is estimated at 445,000 acres, down 60,000 acres from 2014. Area harvested in the United States, at 418,000 acres, is down 12,000 acres from 2014. The average yield for 2015 is estimated at a record high 33.9 bushels per acre, up 2.5 bushels from the previous year.

Production of all dry hay for 2015 is estimated at 134 million tons, down 6 percent from the October 1 forecast and down 4 percent from the revised 2014 total. Area harvested is estimated at 54.4 million acres, down 4 percent from the October 1 forecast and down 5 percent from 2014. The average yield, at 2.47 tons per acre, is down 0.05 ton from the October 1 forecast but up 0.02 ton from the previous year. Production of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures in 2015 is estimated at 59.0 million tons, down 7 percent from the October 1 forecast and down 4 percent from the revised 2014 total. Harvested area, at 17.8 million acres, is down 3 percent from the October 1 forecast and down 3 percent below the previous year. Average yield is estimated at 3.32 tons per acre, 0.13 ton below the October 1 forecast and down 0.02 ton from 2014. Production of all other hay in 2015 totaled 75.4 million tons, down 5 percent from the October forecast and down 4 percent from the revised 2014 total. Harvested area, at 36.7 million acres, is down 4 percent from the October 1 forecast and down 5 percent from last year. Average yield is estimated at a record 2.06 tons per acre, down 0.01 ton from the October 1 forecast but up 0.03 ton from the previous year. Growers seeded 2.54 million acres of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures during 2015, down slightly from 2014.

All hay stored on United States farms as of December 1, 2015 totaled 95.0 million tons, up 3 percent from the previous December. Disappearance from May 1, 2015 – December 1, 2015 totaled 63.9 million tons, compared with 67.0 million tons for the same period a year earlier.

The 2015 sunflower production totaled 2.92 billion pounds, up 32 percent from 2014 and up less than 1 percent from the October forecast. The United States average yield per acre increased 156 pounds from last year to a record high 1,625 pounds. Planted area, at 1.86 million acres, is 19 percent above last year. Area harvested increased 19 percent from last year to 1.80 million acres. United States production of oil-type sunflower varieties, at 2.38 billion pounds, increased 43 percent from 2014. Compared with last year, harvested acres are up 33 percent and the average yield increased by 119 pounds, to a record high 1,579 pounds per acre. Production of non-oil sunflower varieties is estimated at 540 million pounds, a decrease of 3 percent from last year. Area harvested, at 308,600 acres, is down 21 percent from 2014. The average yield increased by 368 pounds from last year to a record high 1,865 pounds per acre, more than 300 pounds per acre higher than the previous record high.

Sugarbeets production for 2015 is estimated at 35.3 million tons, up slightly from the November 1 forecast and up 13 percent from last year revised production. Growers in the 10 major sugarbeet-producing States planted 1.16 million acres, down slightly from last year revised area. Harvested area, at 1.14 million acres, is down slightly from the previous year. Estimated yield, at 30.8 tons per acre, is unchanged from the November forecast but 3.5 tons above last year.

Production of fall potatoes for 2015 is estimated at 405 million cwt, down 1 percent from the November forecast but up slightly from last year. Area harvested, at 937,700 acres, is down 1 percent from the November forecast but up 1 percent from last year. The average yield is estimated at 431 cwt per acre, down 1 cwt from the November forecast and down 3 cwt from last year’s yield.

Production of dry edible beans is estimated at 30.1 million cwt, up 4 percent from last year. Planted area is estimated at 1.76 million acres, up 4 percent from 2014. Harvested area is estimated at 1.71 million acres, also up 4 percent from a year ago. The average United States yield is estimated at 1,760 pounds per acre, an increase of 6 pounds from last year.

Winter wheat seeded area for 2016 is expected to total 36.6 million acres, down 7 percent from 2015. Approximate class acreage breakdowns are: Hard Red Winter, 26.5 million; Soft Red Winter, 6.72 million; and White Winter, 3.43 million.

For a full copy of the Crop Production 2015 Summary report please visit www.nass.usda.gov.