USW Market Analyst
For the first time since 2013/14, total U.S. winter wheat planted area increased on the year as producers took advantage of dry seeding conditions and strong prices through fall 2020. USDA’s 2021/22 Winter Wheat Seedings report, released Jan. 12, reported U.S. farmers planted 32.0 million acres (12.9 million hectares) of winter wheat for harvest in 2021, up 5% from marketing year 2020/21. Increases for hard red winter and soft red winter more than offset a slight decrease in white winter wheat planted area.
USDA assessed HRW planted area at 22.3 million acres (9.02 million hectares), up 4% on the year. Planted acreage is up year-over-year in several major HRW-producing states with the largest increases reported in Montana, South Dakota and Kansas. Montana planted area increased 10% on the year to 1.70 million acres (688,000 hectares) and South Dakota planted area jumped 13% from last year to 710,000 acres (287,000 hectares). In both states, dry planting conditions from September to October were a welcome change compared to sodden, impassable fields in fall 2019.