ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 11, 1996 TAG: 9605130049
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
This year's wheat crop won't come close to matching last year's record harvest, the Virginia Department of Agriculture said Friday.
The department's statistics service predicted that the state's crop will total 13.3 million bushels - about 25 percent lower than in 1995.
Robert T. Bass, a state statistician, said delayed winter seeding, a harsh winter and delays in fertilizer application are responsible for the anticipated drop.
``The grain planted in October and November is as good as anything we've ever had,'' said David Hula, who has 1,300 acres of wheat north of the James River between Richmond and Williamsburg. ``But the grain planted after the 10th of November has struggled due to the cold weather.''
The department's initial season estimate predicts that wheat yields this year will be about 52 bushels per acre. Last year's yield was 64 bushels per acre.
The acreage of harvested wheat also is expected to drop from 275,000 acres in 1995 to 255,000 acres this year.
Bass said, however, that last year's crop was unusually good. Normally, the yields on Virginia farms are about 55 bushels per acre.
Even though yields may be down, Virginia farmers still should have a decent year because of the high price of wheat. In Richmond, winter wheat is priced at $5.42 a bushel, up from $3.30 for the same period last year, said J.P. Welch of the state Department of Agriculture's Market News Service.
``I don't think we're going to have a disaster,'' said Hula. ``We're fortunate that we have a good pricing situation.''
Winter wheat is planted in the fall and lies dormant during the winter. Harvests are usually in May or early June.
Most Virginia wheat is used in feed for the state's chicken-and hog-farming industries.
LENGTH: Short : 43 linesby CNB