WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Indiana wheat yields this summer are running about good to average with less than one-fourth of the crop left to be harvested, said a Purdue University agronomist.

To date, the central and southern regions of the state have 91 percent to 95 percent of wheat acres harvested, with the northern region at 61 percent harvested.

Indiana wheat yields this summer are running about good to average with less than one-fourth of the crop left to be harvested, according to Purdue University agronomist, Shaun Casteel.

In central Indiana counties, yields ranged from 80-120 bushels per acre with a small amount of head scab present.

Shaun Casteel, Purdue Extension small grains specialist, said he did some field scouting and things looked good.

“It does not surprise me to see yields of more than 100 bushels per acre,” Casteel said.

The southern region averaged 70-90 bushels per acre. This average is lower than normal because of an increase in Fusarium head blight, also known as scab, Casteel said. This may result in an increase in mycotoxin levels that could reach 10 parts per million and could lead to elevators rejecting the wheat.

In the state’s northern region there was little to no head scab present. Farmers in the region have their wheat after the corn harvest, giving them a chance to plant their wheat earlier.

Farmers interested in double cropping their soybeans after the wheat harvest should consider their region’s frost date.

“Farmers should give themselves 90 days from planting to the first frost date that is typical for their region to allow the soybeans to fully mature,” Casteel said.

For more information about the Indiana wheat crop, contact Casteel at 765-494-0895, scasteel@purdue.edu

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Two Purdue University agricultural economists will crunch U.S. Department of Agriculture planting intentions data and share their insights during an online meeting from 7-9 p.m. March 31.

Chris Hurt and Corinne Alexander will discuss the USDA’s “Prospective Plantings” report and offer marketing strategies on the same day the report is issued. Online participants can ask questions electronically and view and print Hurt’s and Alexander’s PowerPoint presentation. The meeting will be conducted using Adobe Connect, a Web conferencing program.

To participate in the live online meeting or watch an archived version later, log onto https://gomeet.itap.purdue.edu/march31outlook. Some county offices of Purdue Extension also plan to host the live Webcast. For more information, contact a Purdue Extension office.

The annual “Prospective Plantings” report estimates how many acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops American farmers expect to plant each year. Acreage projections are based on a survey the USDA conducts with farmers across the country.

“The report is the first indication of what farmers are actually going to plant this year,” Alexander said. Farmers and commodities traders pay close attention to the planting intentions report, she added.

“We expect the report to have a major impact on markets,” Alexander said. “If you think back over the last couple of years, we’ve seen major acreage swings on the order of millions of acres moving out of corn or soybeans, or back into corn and soybeans and wheat, as well. We’re expecting the same sort of massive acreage shifts this year.”

In the 2008 planting intentions report, the USDA estimated that the nation’s farmers would plant 86 million acres of corn, 74.8 million acres of soybeans and 63.8 million acres of wheat. Farmers eventually planted 85.9 million acres of corn, 75.7 million acres of soybeans and 63.1 million acres of wheat.

Large acreage shifts are likely this year, Alexander said.

“We at Purdue are estimating that corn acreage will be down nationwide by about 1 million acres, soybeans will be up by 6 million acres and wheat will be down by 4 million acres,” Alexander said.

Those interested in watching the Purdue online meeting should have DSL/high-speed Internet access. Computers must have Adobe Flash Player installed to receive the Adobe Connect program. A free plug-in download of Adobe Flash Player is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

When logging in for the meeting, computer users should click “Enter as a Guest,” enter their name and then click the “Enter Room” button. Make sure computer speakers are plugged in and turned on to hear the presentation.

The 2009 USDA “Prospective Plantings” report can be accessed after 8:30 a.m. EST March 31 online at http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1136

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Eastern Corn Belt farmers took advantage of high wheat prices and increased acreage planted by 24 percent across Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

“The three states are expected to produce 180 million bushels of wheat this year,” said Chris Hurt, Purdue University Cooperative Extension agricultural economist. “This means it’s the biggest wheat crop in years for the region.

“For Indiana, it’s the biggest wheat crop since 1998. For Ohio, it’s the largest since 2003, and the largest for Illinois since 1989.”

According to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers also will be rewarded with better yields this year. Illinois will average 68 bushels per acre, the report said, with Indiana and Ohio both forecast to average 67 bushels per acre.

The bad news is recent flooding could affect final production, but final numbers won’t be known until harvest time in late June and July, Hurt said.

“However, the loss could be made up by the crops’ value, expected to be the highest ever,” he said. “With the highest number of acres in production in a number of years and record high price prospects, this means a record value.

“The 2008 crop will have a value near $1.3 billion across the Eastern Corn Belt if prices average near $7 per bushel for the marketing year, up from $5.50 per bushel last year. The previous record value was $832 million in 1989.”