NASS publishes 2024 Annual Crop Summary for Wyoming 

On Jan. 12, the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Mountain Regional Office released the 2024 Annual Crop Summary, featuring highlights for the state of Wyoming, based on the service’s Dec. 1, 2023 agricultural survey. 

Corn

According to the survey, as of Dec. 1, 2023, Wyoming corn for grain production is estimated at 9.03 million bushels, up five percent or 459,000 bushels from the previous year’s production of 8.57 million bushels. 

The average yield of 153 bushels per acre is unchanged from 2022; total planted area of 85,000 acres compares with the 95,000 planted acres in 2022 and area harvested for grain, at 57,000 acres, is up 1,000 acres from 2022. 

Area harvested for corn silage is estimated at 23,000 acres, which is down 30 percent or 10,000 acres from the previous year, and production is estimated at 529,000 tons, compared to 2022’s 792,000 tons.

Barley

In the report, NASS notes Wyoming producers seeded 83,000 acres of barley in 2023, up six percent or 5,000 acres from the year before, and harvested area, at 58,000 acres, is down 1,000 acres from 2022. 

Average barley yield, at 104 bushels per acre, is up 11 bushels per acre from 2022, and production, estimated at 6.03 million bushes, is up by 10 percent from 5.49 million bushels in 2022. 

Winter wheat

According to the Sept. 1, 2023 survey published by NASS, winter wheat production in Wyoming is estimated at 2.7 million bushels, up 67 percent from the 1.62 million bushels produced in 2022. 

Wyoming producers seeded 115,000 acres of winter wheat in the fall of 2022 for harvest in 2023, which is unchanged from the previous year’s crop. However, area harvested for grain decreased by 5,000 acres to 90,000 acres.

NASS notes winter wheat seedings planted in the fall of 2023 for harvest in 2024 are estimated at 105,000 acres, down 10,000 acres from the final planted area realized in 2023. 

“If realized, the forecasted winter wheat seeded area would represent the smallest seeded area for the state since 1937,” reads the report.

Hay

NASS shares all dry hay production in Wyoming for 2023 is estimated at 2.55 million tons, which is up six percent from total production in 2022 at 2.39 million tons.

Production of alfalfa hay and alfalfa-mix hay is estimated at 1.77 million tons from 590,000 acres, up 146,000 tons from 2022, and average yield for the 2023 crop is three tons per acre.

New seedings of alfalfa and alfalfa-mix hay in Wyoming is estimated at 50,000 acres, up 15,000 acres from 2022.

All other dry hay production is also up from 2022, totaling 775,000 tons from 500,000 acres harvested. The average yield per acre is 0.15 ton above yield in 2022.

As of Dec. 1, 2023, per the NASS report, Wyoming producers were storing 1.49 million tons of all dry hay, which is up 15 percent from the year before.

Sugarbeets

According to NASS, Wyoming’s 2023 sugarbeet crop totaled 847,000 tons, up four percent from the 812,000 tons produced in 2022. 

Planted area totaled 29,000 acres and producers harvested 28,800 acres, compared to the 29,300 and 27,900 acres, respectively planted and harvested, in 2022.

Average yield for 2023 is estimated at 29.4 tons per acre.

Beans

To conclude the report, NASS notes Wyoming’s 2023 dry edible bean production is estimated to total 299,000 hundredweight, which is unchanged from total production realized in 2022. 

Average yield totaled 2,250 pounds per acre, up 100 pounds per acre from 2022. 

Additionally, planted area totaled 14,000 acres, compared to the 15,000 acres planted the year before, while harvested area is estimated at 13,300 acres, 700 acres below that harvested in 2022. 

NASS notes both planted and harvested acreage for Wyoming’s dry edible beans are the lowest in the state since 1925. 

Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.