2012 PRESS RELEASES

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October 2, 2012
WHEAT AND BARLEY PRODUCTION DOWN, OAT PRODUCTION UP
Contact: Elaine J. Lidholm, 804.786.7686

According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Virginia wheat producers averaged 65 bushels per acre this year, down from last year’s yield of 71 bushels per acre. The nationwide yield this year was 46.3 bushels per acre.

Virginia wheat was grown on 280,000 acres with 240,000 acres harvested for grain. Total wheat production statewide was 15.6 million bushels, down 12 percent when compared with 2011.

Oat production for the 2012 crop year was 300,000 bushels, up 54 percent from the previous year. Eleven thousand acres were dedicated to oats with four thousand acres harvested for grain, up 1,000 acres from 2011.

Barley growers produced 3.03 million bushels of grain, down 51 percent from last year. Producers averaged 82 bushels per acre, down six bushels from 2011. Sixty-five thousand acres were planted in barley with 37,000 acres harvested for grain.

The statistics were compiled by the Virginia Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service from a survey of producers conducted in early September.

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