Purdue News

February 1998

Hoosier farmers hold the line

Indiana's ag production rankings First Popcorn, Ducks, Egg-type chicks hatched Third Tomatoes for processing Fourth Soybeans, Chickens (excluding broilers), Total eggs produced, Peppermint Fifth Hogs, Corn for grain, Cantaloupes, Spearmint Sixth Pig crop, Ice cream production, Watermelons Seventh Turkeys, Blueberries, Snap beans for processing Eighth Tobacco Ninth Cucumbers for processing 14th Winter wheat, Sweet corn 15th Cattle on feed 16th Tomatoes for fresh market 17th Milk cows, Milk production 18th Commercial apples, Oats 20th Rye 22nd Lamb crop 24th Freestone peaches, Potatoes, Wool production 27th Hay 28th Sheep and lambs 30th Beef cows 33rd All cattle and calves, Calf crop 34th Honey production

In crop production, Indiana's ranking improved for tobacco, winter wheat, oats, rye, potatoes and hay. The ranking dropped for fresh-market tomatoes and peaches. As for livestock, Indiana moved up in milk cows and lamb crop and dropped in cattle on feed, beef cows, sheep and pig crop.

"Livestock numbers have dropped somewhat," Gann says, "while they're increasing in other states. There's been a shift in where these enterprises are."

For instance, he says, as Indiana's pig crop went down 2 percent, Missouri's increased by 8 percent, allowing it to pass Indiana in state rankings. The Hoosier pig crop now ranks sixth.

"Indiana producers decreased farrowing by 35,000 sows during the first half of the year, while Missouri remained unchanged," Gann says. In the second half of the year, Indiana's pig crop remaining unchanged, while Missouri's rose.

Purdue Extension agricultural economist Chris Hurt says overall hog production in the primary Midwestern states has been declining throughout the past decade, and there has been a redistribution of the industry toward North Carolina and the southwestern and western fringes of the Corn Belt. Concern about the environment has caused production to grow in more sparsely populated areas, where there are fewer disagreements about land use.

"There's a great deal of concern about conflict between hogs and people in our region -- more so than in other areas," Hurt says. "Our trend in Indiana has been to remain stable."

Indiana's higher ranking in tobacco production was due to increased acreage and a return to near-average yields, which led to the largest total production of tobacco since 1992, Gann says.

"Winter wheat acreage was reduced, but yield returned to the fourth-highest on record. There was a 20-bushel-per-acre increase over the '96 crop," he says.

Purdue Extension wheat specialist Ellsworth Christmas says absence of head disease in the '97 winter wheat crop was the No. 1 reason yields went to 58 bushels an acre.

"It was a direct result of the weather," he says. "It was relatively dry during flowering, which reduces head disease."

On Indiana's 23,200,000 total acres, there are 62,000 farms with 13,366,000 acres in cropland. Total land in farms equals 15,900,000 acres. The average farm size is 256 acres. Most farming operations -- 85 percent -- are individually owned.

CONTACT: Gann, (765) 494-8371; e-mail, nass-in@nass.usda.gov

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