Posted: 01.04.2011

The latest independent survey of growers intentions for 2011 show's there's a lot left to be decided. That was the conclusion announced by Bryce Knorr, commodity specialist with Farm Futures magazine during his early morning chat with Pam Jahnke on the WI Farm Report network.

The full report details were released at 7 a.m. this morning in St. Louis, at Farm Futures magazines grower summit. The survey shows long-term agronomic concerns may outweigh "the invisible hand of the market" when all is said and done this spring.

Farm Futures second producer survey put 2011 corn plantings at 89.93 million acres, up almost 2% from USDA's last projection of 2010 acreage. But the latest Farm Futures estimate for 2011 was only slightly higher than the magazine's first survey in July, which came in at 89.5 million, despite rally of more than $1.50 a bushel.

The magazine put 2011 soybean plantings at 77.42 million. That would be down a little compared to USDA's current estimate of 2010 acreage, though the survey also showed farmers planted fewer soybeans last year than previous estimates.

The magazine found farmers planted more winter wheat last fall than its first estimate, part of a big potential rebound for the crop. Farm Futures puts winter wheat seedings at 42.37 million acres, up 13.5% from 2010 and about 600,000 more than its first survey last summer. Farmers also plan to put in more spring wheat and durum, with total wheat seedings reaching 59.22 million, compared to USDA's last 2010 estimate of 53.6 million. The latest totals are even bigger than the magazine found in its first survey last summer.

Results of the survey were released today at the opening day of the Farm Futures Management Summit in St. Louis. USDA reports its first estimate of winter wheat seedings Jan. 12, but won't report planting intentions until March 31. Farm Futures surveyed more than 1,000 growers by email from Dec. 1 to Dec. 29.

See the complete survey at farmfutures.com

Bryce Knorr, commodity specialist with FF is a regular guest on the WI Farm Report Radio network - live each Tuesday and Friday at 5:45 a.m.

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