Planting estimates revealed

USDA published 2019 planting intentions on Friday morning.

U.S. corn planted area for all purposes is estimated at 92.8 million acres which is up four percent or 3.66 million acres from last year. Planted acreage is expected to be up or unchanged in 34 of the 48 estimating states. Soybean planted area is estimated at 84.6 million acres, down five percent from last year.

The Illinois corn planted area for 2019 is expected to be 11.2 million acres, up 200,000 from last year. The soybean area is expected to be 10.5 million acres, down 300,000 from a year ago. Illinois winter wheat planted last fall is estimated at 600,000 acres, steady with last year. The state’s hay acres for harvest in 2019 are forecasted at 500,000 which is up six percent from the previous year.

GRAIN STOCKS:

Information on grain stocks was also released by USDA-NASS Friday.

Corn stocks in all positions on March 1, 2019 totaled 8.60 billion bushels, down 3 percent from March 1, 2018. Of the total stocks, 5.13 billion bushels were stored on farms, up 3 percent from a year earlier. Off-farm stocks, at 3.47 billion bushels, are down 11 percent from a year ago. The

December 2018 - February 2019 indicated disappearance is 3.33 billion bushels, compared with 3.67 billion bushels during the same period last year.

Soybeans stored in all positions on March 1, 2019 totaled 2.72 billion bushels, up 29 percent from March 1, 2018. Soybean stocks stored on farms are estimated at 1.27 billion bushels, up 49 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 1.45 billion bushels, are up 15 percent from last March. Indicated disappearance for the December 2018 - February 2019 quarter totaled

1.03 billion bushels, down 2 percent from the same period a year earlier.

All wheat stored in all positions on March 1, 2019 totaled 1.59 billion bushels, up 6 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks are estimated at 368 million bushels, up 42 percent from last March. Off-farm stocks, at 1.22 billion bushels, are down 1 percent from a year ago. The December 2018 - February 2019 indicated disappearance is 419 million bushels, 11 percent above the same period a year earlier.