2012 Crop Production Guides

2012 Crop Production Guides

The Projected 2012 Crop Budget Guides for the North Central region and the Northwest region of North Dakota are here!  And most crops indicate a positive bottom line.

            Small chickpeas top the list with a projected return to labor and management estimated at $205.87 per acre! However, as some of you know through experience actual production can be risky. A slightly more common crop, Yellow Mustard, also has a great return at an estimated $125.94 per acre. Malting Barley looks good at $115.02 per acre.

Oats is the dog of the bunch at a negative $15.31 per acre with an average yield of 54 bushels per acre. However, at $3.17 per bushel that number can change fast if you have a good yield year.

            Overall, the projected budgets are very good. Producers should use them as a guide only, substituting their own numbers in for costs, price, and yields.

Field Inspected Seed Guides

            Published by the North Dakota State Seed Department, the 2012 North Dakota Field Inspected Seed guide is a listing of producers who had fields inspected for the production of Certified, Registered, or Foundation Seed in 2011. If you are looking for a particular variety of seed this is a good reference. Remember though that this is a listing of field inspections. It is not a guarantee that a producer actually harvested the crop and will have seed for sale. It is not unusual for a producer to raise seed under contract to a local elevator or to sell his entire production to a seed handling facility.