It appears there’s less stress on livestock owners looking for hay, while the jury’s still out on how much winter wheat Wisconsin farmers will harvest.
All hay stored on Wisconsin farms as of May 1, 2022, was estimated at 630,000 tons, up 11 percent from May 1, 2021, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Crop Production report. Disappearance from December 1, 2021, through May 1, 2022, totaled 1.48 million tons, compared with 1.22 million tons for the same period in 2021.
Meanwhile, weather is still a key to what Wisconsin wheat producers will be harvesting.
Winter wheat production in Wisconsin is forecast at 15.4 million bushels, 16 percent below last year’s 18.4 million bushels according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Crop Production report. Based on conditions as of May 1, the State’s winter wheat yield is forecast at 70.0 bushels per acre, 5.0 bushels below last year. Wisconsin winter wheat growers intend to harvest 220,000 acres for grain, down 10 percent from 2021.