REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — Winter wheat production in Ohio and barley production in Pennsylvania hit record highs this year, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture- National Agricultural Statistics Service reports.
Wheat production in Ohio was up 45% from 2022 at 53.1 million bushels, according to Ben Torrance, State Statistician for USDA-NASS’s Ohio Field Office. Winter wheat in Ohio averaged 90 bushels per acre this year, up 11 bushels from last year.
Wheat was planted on 650,000 acres, with 590,000 acres harvested for grain. Wheat harvest progressed unabated throughout July, as growers reported yields much higher than anticipated, especially given the dry early summer conditions.
Oats in Ohio averaged 76 bushels per acre, an increase of 6 bushels from last year, while the amount of land harvested in oats remained the same, at 15,000 acres. Overall oat production in Ohio, at 1.14 million bushels, was up 9% from a year ago.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania winter wheat production totaled 17.5 million bushels in 2023, up 14% from the 2022 total of 15.3 million bushels, according to King Whetstone, director of the USDA-NASS, Northeastern Regional Field Office. Area harvested for grain was up 10% from the previous year, at 230,000 acres. Yield was estimated at 76 bushels per acre, up 3 bushels from the last year.
Barley production was estimated at 2.27 million bushels, up 69% from the 2022 total of 1.34 million bushels. The average yield, at a record high 81 bushels per acre, was up 14 bushels from the previous year. Producers seeded 47,000 acres in 2023, up 15% from 2022. Harvested area, at 28,000 acres, was up 40% from 2022.
Oat production was down 20% from last year, estimated at 2.87 million bushels. Yield was estimated at 61 bushels per acre, up 2 bushels from last year. Harvested area, at 47,000 acres, was 23% below last year.
National view
Winter wheat production totaled 1.25 billion bushels, up 13% from the 2022 total of 1.10 billion bushels. Area harvested for grain was estimated at 24.7 million acres, up 5% from 2022.
Record low planted and harvested acres were estimated in Utah in 2023. Record high yields were estimated in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia for 2023. The eastern third of the United States had better conditions than the rest of the country.
U.S. oat production in 2023 was estimated at 57.0 million bushels, down 1% from 2022. Yield was estimated at 68.6 bushels per acre, up 3.8 bushels from the previous year. Harvested area, at 831 thousand acres, was 7% below 2022.
