Washington-Corn acreage should be 90.45 million acres in 2007, according to the USDA’s Prospective Plantings Report issued March 30. This is up 15 percent from the 2006 crop and also up from earlier projections of around 87 million acres. If it proves to be correct, 2007 plantings would be the largest since 1944. Illinois, North Dakota, and Minnesota farmers all expected to record high acreage in 2007. The added corn acres would come from other crops ?Çô soybeans, cotton, and rice. Soybean acreage is expected to be off 11 percent from 2006 to 67.1 million acres, while cotton numbers are down 20 percent to 12.1 million acres. Winter wheat acreage is expected to be up 1 percent to 44.5 million acres, with Durum wheat up 6 percent to 1.99 million acres. Other spring wheat would be off 7 percent to 13.8 million acres. Speakers at the Green Markets Audio Conference in February discussed the possibility that corn acreage could top the 90 million acre mark. An audio recording of the conference is available on CD-ROM for $199, and can be ordered by visiting http://www.pf.com/eventDetail.asp?id=43&type=2. Audio recordings of past Green Markets audio conferences can also be ordered at http://www.pf.com/events.asp.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain