Arkansas' rice output expected to fall 32% year-over-year to 79.1 million cwt., USDA says; cotton production to rise 16% to 1.37 million bales

Andrew Rogers

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas , November 9, 2011 (press release) – Arkansas corn for grain production is forecast at 71.4 million bushels, up 25 percent from 2010. Based on conditions as of November 1, yield is expected to average 140 bushels per acre, down 2 bushels from last month’s forecast and down 10 bushels from last year. If realized, this will be second highest production on record for Arkansas, behind 2007’s 99.7 million bushels. Producers expect to harvest 510,000 acres of corn for grain, up 34 percent from 2010. Arkansas all cotton production is forecast at 1.37 million 480-pound bales, unchanged from the October 1 forecast but up 16 percent from last year. Yield is expected to average 996 pounds per harvested acre, unchanged from the October 1 forecast but down 49 pounds from last year’s yield. Harvested area is estimated at 660,000 acres, up 22 percent from 2010. The 2011 total rice production for the state is forecast at 79.1 million hundredweight (cwt), up 1 percent from the October 1 forecast but down 32 percent from 2010. Based on conditions as of November 1, the all rice yield for 2011 is forecast at 6,850 pounds per acre, up 50 pounds from the October 1 forecast and up 370 pounds from last year’s yield. If realized, this will be the fourth largest rice yield on record. Producers expect to harvest 1.16 million acres of rice, down 35 percent from 2010. Arkansas sorghum for grain production in 2011 is forecast at 6.29 million bushels, unchanged from the October 1 forecast and up 133 percent from a year ago. Based on November 1 conditions, yield is expected to average 74 bushels per acre, unchanged from the October 1 forecast and down 3 bushels per acre from last year. Area for grain harvest, at 85,000 acres, is unchanged from October but up 50,000 acres from 2010. Soybean production in 2011 for Arkansas is forecast at 120 million bushels, up 9 percent from a year ago. Based on November 1 conditions, yield is expected to average 37 bushels per acre, unchanged from last month’s forecast but up 2 bushels from 2010. Area for harvest, at 3.25 million acres, is up 3 percent from 2010.

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