NASS releases 2024 crop production highlights

On Jan. 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) published the annual Crop Production 2024 Summary for the U.S. and individual states. 

The report includes statistics on the production of corn, barley, wheat, hay, alfalfa and sugarbeets across the state of Wyoming, based off of an agricultural survey published by the NASS Mountain Regional Field Office on Dec. 1, 2024.

Corn 

In Wyoming, production of corn for grain in 2024 is estimated at 10.23 million bushels, up 17 percent or 1.15 million bushels from the 8.72 million bushels produced in 2023. 

Average yield, at 155 bushels per acre (bpa), was up two bpa from the previous year, and area harvested for grain, at 66,000 acres, was up 9,000 acres from the year before. Planted area totaled 85,000 acres in both 2023 and 2024. 

Additionally, NASS estimates area harvested for corn silage in Wyoming is at 15,000 acres, down 8,000 acres or 35 percent from the year prior, with production estimated at 345,000 tons, compared to the 529,000 tons produced in 2023. 

Comparatively, corn for grain production across the entire U.S. is estimated at 14.9 billion bushels, down three percent, while both planted area, at 90.6 million acres, and harvested area, at 82.9 million acres, are down four percent. 

Average yield in the U.S. is estimated at a record high of 179.3 bpa, up two bpa from 2023. 

The NASS report also shows the nation’s total corn silage production is forecast at 123 million tons, down five percent from the year before, while silage yield is estimated at 20.2 tons per acre.

Wheat and barley

Winter wheat production in the state of Wyoming is estimated to be up four percent from last year at 2.82 million bushels.

NASS notes area harvested for grain increased by one percent to 91,000 acres. Additionally, winter wheat yield, at 31 bpa, is up one bushel from a year ago.

According to NASS’s survey, growers seeded 110,000 acres in 2024, which is down from the 115,000 acres seeded for the previous year’s crop and represents the smallest seeded area since 1937.

Winter wheat seeding in Wyoming for the 2025 crop year is estimated at 105,000 acres, down 5,000 acres from the final planted area in 2024.

When it comes to barley, NASS estimates Wyoming production to be down five percent to 5.71 million bushels.

The agency also estimates area harvested for grain will be down 7,000 acres from last year to 51,000 acres. 

Barley yield, at 112 bpa, is up eight bpa from 2024, which is a new record high.

The NASS survey further notes Wyoming growers seeded 74,000 acres, down from the 83,000 acres seeded for the previous year’s crop. 

Across the U.S., winter wheat production totaled 1.35 billion bushels, up nine percent from 2023, with a yield of 51.7 bpa, up 1.1 bpa from the year prior. 

Area harvested for grain is also estimated higher at 26.1 million acres, up six percent from 2023, with record-high yields forecast in Missouri, South Dakota and Wisconsin for 2024. 

All wheat production in the U.S. totaled 1.97 billion bushels, up nine percent from 2023, with total area harvested at 38.5 million acres, up four percent, and average yield at 51.2 bpa, up 2.5 bpa.

National barley production is estimated at 144 million bushels, down 23 percent from 2023’s 186 million bushels. 

The average barley yield in the U.S. for the year was 76.7 bpa, up 4.4 bpa. Producers seeded 2.37 million acres in 2024, down 24 percent from 2023, and harvested area, at 1.88 million acres, was down 27 percent from 2023.

Hay 

According to NASS, alfalfa and alfalfa-mix hay production is estimated at 1.95 million tons, down 23 percent, while average yield for the 2024 crop is 2.9 tons per acre, fractionally smaller than last year’s numbers. 

All other dry hay production totaled 675,000 tons from 450,000 acres harvested, which is down 100,000 tons from the previous crop. Average yield is also down, at 1.5 tons per acre. 

NASS estimated new seeding of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures at 35,000 acres, down 15,000 acres from the previous year. 

Overall, NASS notes all 2024 dry hay production in the state of Wyoming is estimated at 1.95 million tons, down 23 percent.

Additionally, the NASS survey shows, as of Dec. 1, 2024, producers in Wyoming had 1.3 million tons of dry hay in storage, down 13 percent from the 1.49 million tons stored last year.

On a national scale, production of alfalfa and alfalfa-mix hay in 2024 is up slightly at 49.8 million tons, while harvested area, at 14.6 million acres, is down six percent and average yield, at 3.41 tons per acre, is up fractionally.

Production of all other hay in 2024 totaled 72.6 million tons, up six percent from 2023, with harvested area, at 34.8 million acres, down six percent and average yield estimated at a  record high of 2.09 tons per acre.

NASS reports show all hay stored on U.S. farms as of Dec. 1, 2024 totaled 81.5 million tons, up six percent from the year prior.

Sugarbeets

The state’s 2024 sugarbeet crop totaled 946,000 tons, up 12 percent from the 847,000 tons produced last year. 

Planted area totaled 31,700 acres, compared to 2023’s 29,100 acres, and producers harvested 30,800 acres in 2024, up from 28,800 acres in 2023. Average yield is estimated at 30.7 tons per acre, up 1.3 tons from last year. 

In the U.S., 2024 sugarbeet production is estimated at 35.3 million tons, down two percent from the year prior. NASS notes growers planted 1.10 million acres, down two percent from 2024 and harvested area, at 1.09 million acres, was down three percent from the previous yield. 

Estimated yield was up slightly from the year before at 32.5 tons per acre.

Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.