A26-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 31,2002
Editor’s Note: This is a month
ly column from the Pennsylvania
Ag Statistics Service (PASS), a
field office of USDA’s National
Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS) in cooperation with the
Pennsylvania Department of Ag
riculture (PDA). The Website is
www.usda.gov/nassl.
CROP FORECASTS
Aug. 1 field crop forecasts are
based on the June Acreage report
combined with results of the
monthly ag yield survey con
ducted throughout the growing
season. We have yet to measure
the effects of August weather.
Stay tuned for the Sept. 12 crop
report for the com and beans up
date!
Small grain production in
Pennsylvania is expected to be
above last year with oat produc
tion up 4 percent, barley up 13
percent, and wheat up 31 per
cent. The large increase for wheat
is due to more acres harvested
combined with higher yields.
As of Aug. 1, yields are ex
pected as follows: 64 bushels for
oats, 73 bushels for barley, and 59
bushels per acre for wheat.
At 90 bushels, com yields in
Pennsylvania are down from last
year by 8 bushels as of Aug. 1.
Combined with less harvested
acreage, production is forecast at
85.5 million bushels, down 12
percent from 2001.
Soybean production is ex
pected to be 12 percent less than
N.J. Leaders Tout Ethanol Production In State
(Continued from Page A 1)
Meanwhile, in southcentral
Pennsylvania, plans for a possible
ethanol production plant are
“continuing to move forward,”
according to Russ Montgomery,
president of Regional Economic
Development District Initiatives.
The project began last year
when the York County Economic
Development Corporation cre
ated an agricultural alliance
group to study the potential of an
ethanol plant within an area that
includes Adams, Berks, Cumber
land, Dauphin, Franklin, Leba
non, Lancaster, and York coun
ties.
The results of a feasibility
study released earlier this year
showed good economic promise
for such a facility in the area.
While there are “still
a number of questions
to be answered,” site
selection should be fi
nalized within a few
months, Montgomery
said.
A lesson
well learned...
Lancaster
Farming's
classified ads
NASS
Agriculture Counts
By Marc Tosiano
Pa. State Statistician
last year. The forecasted
33-bushel average yield is 2 bush
els below 2001 while acreage is
also reduced from last year.
Dry alfalfa production in
Pennsylvania is forecast at 1.44
million tons as of Aug. 1. A lower
expected average yield of 2.4 tons
combined with less acreage har
vested to make the forecast 14
percent less than last year.
Dry other hay production in
Pennsylvania is forecast at 1.76
million tons as of Aug. 1. A lower
expected average yield of 1.6 tons
was mostly onset by increased
harvested acreage to make the
forecast just slightly less than
2001.
Tobacco, both Maryland and
Pennsylvania types, anticipate in
creased yields and acres harvest
ed. Compared to last year, Mary
land-type production is up 18
percent while Pennsylvania-type
is up 7 percent.
Apples are forecast at 470 mil
lion pounds in Pennsylvania, 2
percent below last year. Pear out
put, at 5,300 tons, is down 4 per
cent from last year. Grape pro
duction of 45,000 tons is down 27
percent from a year earlier.
Peach production is forecast at
60 million pounds, down 20 per
cent from 2001.
Management
The chemical usage statistics
program in NASS was estab
Among N.J. leaders who gathered this week to
support an ethanol plant are, from left, Pete Furey,
executive director of the N.J. Farm Bureau; James
McGreevey, governor; Karen Kominsky, deputy
commissioner of agriculture; and Charles Kuperus,
secretary of agriculture.
Dairy Pest
lished so that accurate informa
tion, not guesses and assump
tions, is available to the
American public. It is also impor
tant for EPA to have actual
usage data as they re-evaluate
registered chemicals available to
farmers. Otherwise, EPA will as
sume that maximum application
rates are always used on field
crops, fruits, vegetables, and live
stock.
We are releasing the first “Ag
ricultural Chemical Usage” re
port that provides actual usage
statistics about insecticides useid
in the dairy industry. Nationally,
Permethrin is the most popular
insecticide applied to daily cattle
and Piperonyl butoxide is most
widely used in dairy facilities.
Dairy facilities were defined as
milking parlors, pens, sheds,
bams, etc.
The 36-page report can be
found at www.usda.gov/nass/.
Use the Search button to find the
“Agricultural Chemical” report
released on May 29,2002.
Maple Syrup
Pennsylvania’s 2002 maple
syrup production is estimated at
55,000 gallons, down 20 percent
from last year’s 69,000 gallons.
This is the first year number of
taps are being published. The
number of taps set in Pennsylva
nia totaled 337,000 during 2002,
compared with 360,000 taps in
2001. Therefore, Pennsylvania
maple yield for the year 2002 av
eraged 0.163 gallons per tap,
down from the 0.192 gallons per
tap last year. Temperatures were
generally too warm for good sap
flow in Pennsylvania.
Nationally, maple syrup pro
duction in 2002 totaled 1.36 mil
lion gallons, 29 percent above the
2001 crop. There were 6.58 mil
lion taps set this year compared
to 6.48 million taps in 2001.
In Pennsylvania, the value of
the 2001 crop was $1.75 million,
up from the $1.34 million in the
year 2000. Nationally, the crop
was valued at $30.1 million.
Complete maple statistics are
found in the 32-page June issue
of the “Crop Production” report
release June 12, 2002. It can be
found at www.usda.gov/nass/.
Use the Search button and select
Maple Syrup from the Commodi
ty list.
Mushrooms
U.S. Agaricus mushroom sales
totaled 838 million pounds for
2001-2002, 1 percent below last
year. Pennsylvania accounted for
55 percent, with 460 million
pounds. California ranked sec
ond with 128 million pounds or
15 percent.
The 2001-2002 U.S. Agaricus
crop was estimated at $875 mil
lion in sales, with Pennsylvania
sales at $390 million. Nationwide,
Brown mushrooms, including
Portabello and Crimini varieties,
accounted for 92.9 million
pounds, 11 percent of all Agari
cus sold. The value of sales for
Brown mushrooms was $ll5 mil
lion, or 13 percent of total Agari
cus sales.
In 2001-2002, there were 129
Agaricus growers nationwide
Weekly Dairy Market Outlook
(Continued from Page Al 6)
You know the MILC program
payments are only available on
the first 2.4 million pounds of
milk marketed each fiscal year.
(The current fiscal year ends Sep
tember 2002). Thus, you will ex
haust your 2.4-million-pound cap
during the first two months of the
fiscal year during December 2001
and January 2002. Your choice
then is either to take the 2.4 mil
lion pounds on' the transition
payment or for the month of Sep
tember 2002. This of course as
sumes that you sign your MILC
contract during August.
For our 720-cow operation, the
transition payment will be
$18,600 ($9,240 for December
2001 and $9,360 for January
2002). The MILC payment for
September, on the other hand,
will be $17,400 (a MILC payment
rate of $1.45 per CWT on 1.2
million pounds of milk).
In this case, since the MILC
payment is higher during the
transition period, the 720-cow
producer will likely elect to re
ceive the transition payment. A
larger producer, however, may
elect to forfeit the transition pay
ment and take the MILC pay
Agricultural • Commercial • Residential
with 78 of those in Pennsylvania.
The previous year showed 137
growers nationally with 80 in
Pennsylvania.
The 15-page report has addi
tional data about specialty mush
rooms and certified organic
mushrooms. See www.usda.gov/
nass/; use the Search button to
find the “Mushrooms” report re
leased on August 16,2002.
Countdown To Census
The 2002 Census of Agricul
ture will be mailed to all growers
across the nation in late Decem
ber or in about four months.
Funding for agricultural re
search, education, services, and
programs for growers of all sizes
depend on state and county sta
tistics from the Census of Agri
culture. So it’s important for
Pennsylvania to count every farm
even small, part-time, and
hobby farms.
You only have to produce
$l,OOO of agricultural products or
keep only a few head of livestock
or equine to count as a farm for
Census purposes. Remember,
“Agriculture Counts,” and we
are counting on your response for
an accurate Census. When you
get the Ag Census form, please
fill it out and return it right
away. Thank you!
ment for September 2002 if that
payment is higher.
• Step 4. Provide verifiable
production history.
• Step 5. If you are a member
of a special group as identified by
USDA, you can elect to disburse
your MILC benefits through a co
operative. This is an option that
may have appeal for our Amish
and Mennonite communities.
USDA will allow MILC benefits
to be disbursed by a cooperative
marketing association that serves
the Amish community or other
special groups.
• For example, let’s say you
are an Amish producer and do
not want to directly receive your
MILC benefits from USDA. You
can instead arrange to have the
transition payment and monthly
MILC checks go through your
cooperative into your milk check.
Procedures regarding these pro
visions have not yet been re
leased.
For more information, please
visit your local FSA office.
Other source of information:
• http://www.fsa.usda.gov/
dam/forms/fsanotices.asp (page
down to Notice Number LD-524).