Illinois farmers planted more acres in winter wheat last fall than during the previous year.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an estimated 940,000 acres were seeded in wheat with the intent of harvesting them for grain later this year. This was up 45 percent from last year.
Meanwhile, wheat stocks in all positions totaled 29.9 million bushels, up 3 percent from a year earlier. On-farm stocks totaled 1.6 million bushels, while off-farm stocks totaled 28.3 million bushels.
Acres planted in soybeans were also up last year but corn acreage was down, the USDA said.
A total of 10.8 million acres were planted in beans, up 2 percent from 2021. Harvested area, at 10.75 million acres, was up 2 percent from the previous year.
The soybean yield was estimated at 63 bushels per acre, down 2 bushels from 2021. Production was estimated at 677.3 million bushels, down 1 percent from the previous year.
Bean stocks in all positions totaled 545 million bushels, down 6 percent. On-farm stocks totaled 265 million bushels, while off-farm stocks totaled 280 million bushels.
State farmers seeded 10.8 million acres in corn, down 2 percent from 2021. Corn for grain was harvested on 10.6 million acres, also down 2 percent.
Still, the corn yield was estimated at a record 214 bushels per acre, up 12 bushels from 2021. Production was estimated at 2.27 billion bushels, up 3 percent from last year.
Corn stocks in all positions totaled 1.97 billion bushels, up 6 percent. On-farm stocks totaled 1.1 billion bushels, while off-farm stocks totaled 873 million bushels.
A total of 495,000 acres of all varieties of hay was harvested in 2022, down 1 percent from a year earlier.
The all-hay yield was estimated at 2.88 tons per acre, down more than a quarter-ton from the previous year. Production was estimated at 1.42 million tons, 9 percent below 2021.