Egg production up in April
ALBANY — Egg production on New York farms totaled 100 million eggs in April 2009, up 5 percent from last year, according to Stephen Ropel, Director of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Office.

The number of hens and pullets of laying age, at 4.10 million, increased 4 percent from April 2008 and the rate of lay increased 1 percent to 2,441 eggs per 100 layers.

A dozen eggs brought New York poultry farmers an average of 79 cents per dozen for eggs sold in April, up 16.8 cents from March but down 7.5 cents from April 2008.

June milk price lower; others mixed
ALBANY — Prices received by New York producers for milk sold during June were down from a month earlier, according to Steve Ropel, director of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Office.

The price of corn and apples also decreased. The price of hay increased.

Dairy farmers in the Empire State received an average of $11.50 per hundredweight of milk sold during June, down 40 cents from May and $7.40 less than June a year ago.

Grain corn, at $4.26 per bushel, was down 34 cents from May and decreased $2.12 from last year. Hay averaged $123 per ton, up $10 from May but down $6 from June 2008. Apples, at 23.8 cents per hundredweight, were down 14.5 cents from last year at this time.

The preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in June, at 135 percent, based on 1990-92=100, increased 5 points (3.8 percent) from May. The Crop Index is up 12 points (8 percent) but the Livestock Index decreased 1 point (0.9 percent).

Producers received higher prices for tomatoes, soybeans, broilers, and cantaloups and lower prices for cattle, strawberries, milk and hay.

In addition to prices, the overall index is also affected by the seasonal change based on a three-year average mix of commodities producers sell.

Increased monthly marketings of wheat, grapes, hay and cantaloups offset decreased marketings of tomatoes, oranges, strawberries and sweet corn.

Record soybean acreage planted
ALBANY — New York farmers are experiencing average planting progress. As of June 2, corn seeding neared completion and soybeans were over 60 percent planted.

A record high 255,000 acres of soybeans are expected to be planted, up 11 percent from the previous record of 230,000 planted in 2008.

An estimated 252,000 acres will be harvested for beans, 12 percent more than last year.

Farmers intend to plant 1,110,000 acres of corn for all purposes in 2009, 2 percent more than acres planted in 2008. Acreage for grain is expected to total 630,000 acres, down 2 percent from the 640,000 acres harvested last year.

Oat seedings totaled 85,000 acres, up 15,000 acres from the March intentions and 6 percent more than the 80,000 acres planted last year.

Acreage to be harvested for grain is estimated at 64,000 acres, the same as the acres harvested in 2008.

Dry-bean acreage is estimated at 19,000 acres, up 12 percent from a year ago. Acreage for harvest is estimated at 18,000 acres, up 7 percent from 2008.

Barley plantings totaled 14,000 acres, up 8 percent from last year.

Acreage to be harvested for grain is estimated at 13,000 acres, up 44 percent from last year's 9,000 acres.

Acreage for harvest for all types of dry hay is expected to total 1.48 million acres, up 12 percent from last year. Alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures for dry hay, at 420,000 acres, is up 20 percent and acres for other types of dry hay, at 1.06 million acres, is up 9 percent from a year earlier.