Spring outlook Firm forecasts U.S. growers 
will plant almost 97 million acres of corn in 2013
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — U.S. farmers are preparing to sow 96.956 million acres of corn this spring, the second largest area since 1937 and slightly less than the 97.255 million acres that were planted last year, according to a producer survey by Illinois-based analytical and research/brokerage firm Allendale Inc.
Allendale, in an emailed news release, said using the firm’s estimated harvested acreage and the company’s trend yield of 156.97 bushels per acre, it would imply a record production of 13.912 billion bu. Last year’s U.S. corn crop totaled 10.780 billion bu.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture in its outlook forum over the winter pegged this season’s corn plantings at 96.5 million acres.
Soybean plantings were pegged by Allendale at 78.324 million acres, a record area and up 1.126 million from last year.
This would imply a crop of 3.349 billion bu., the second largest and up from last year’s output of 3.015 billion.
Allendale estimated U.S. wheat acreage for 2013 at 56.261 million, up 209,000 from USDA’s current outlook.
The winter wheat area would indicate total wheat production of 2.204 billion bu., below last year’s crop of 2.269 billion.
Allendale said it was the 24th annual producer survey that the firm had conducted and this year’s survey received a record response with 33 states represented.
