North Dakota Farmers: Record Winter Wheat Harvest

Link here. (some numbers rounded)

Two data points:

• total number of acres to be harvested
• bushels of wheat per acre

First: acreage

• previous record: 550,000 acres harvested in 1984, 2008
• this year: 720,000 acres predicted
• that's a whopping 30 percent increase
• that really is huge 
• last September, ND farmers planted 750,000 acres, tied record set in 1985

Second: bushels per acre

• last year's (2010) winter wheat was a record at: 55 bushels/acre
• this year's expectation: 48 bushels/acre

Totals:

• previous record, 2009: 26 million bushels
• this year's estimate: 2012: 35 million bushels
• wow, that is huge; we're not talking a tad more -- (35-26)/26 --> 35% increase
• wow

I remember folks talking about "oil millionaire" farmers quitting farming to enjoy the good life.

Others were concerned that all the oil activity, all the oil pads, the bad roads, the grocery shortage would all adversely affect North Dakota farming. I could be wrong but the bulk of winter wheat farming is done in oil country, the western side of the state.

The real story is this: with oil money, ND farmers can now afford to farm. Good for them!

The wheat story, April, 2011.