USDA, NASS, Tennessee Field Office                                                        In Cooperation with:
Debra Kenerson, State Statistician PO Box 41505
Nashville, Tennessee 37204-1505                                          Tennessee Department of Agriculture
(615) 781-5300 or 1-800-626-0987                                                   Jai Templeton, Commissioner
Email: nass-tn@nass.usda.gov

Released: May 10, 2018

Tennessee 2018 Wheat Production Expected to Increase

Tennessee farmers expect to harvest 21.6 million bushels of winter wheat during 2018 according to the Tennessee Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The expected crop for 2018 would be up 12 percent from the previous year. Farmers seeded 400,000 acres last fall with 300,000 acres to be harvested for grain. Based on crop conditions as of May 1 and assuming a normal growing season, farmers expect a yield of 72.0 bushels per acre, up 2.0 bushels from 2017. Acres for other uses totaled 100,000 acres and will be used as cover crop or cut as silage or hay. 

As of April 29, 29 percent of the crop had headed, behind the 5-year average of 43 percent. Seventy-two percent of the crop is rated in good or excellent condition.

Winter wheat production for the Nation was forecast at 1.19 billion bushels, down 6 percent from 2017. The expected area to be harvested for grain or seed totals 24.8 million acres, down 2 percent from last year. As of May 1, the U.S. yield was forecast at 48.1 bushels per acre, down 2.1 bushels from last year.

As of May 1, Tennessee on-farm hay stocks totaled 500,000 tons, up 20,000 from May 1, 2017 stocks. Farmers have used 83 percent of their hay stocks since December 1, 2017.

U. S. hay stocks were at 15.7 million tons, down 8,719,000 tons from 2017.