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STATE DOCUMENT
WIS. LEG. REF. LIBRARY
WISCONSIN
CROP AND LIVESTOCK REPORTER
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE  WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Bureau of Agricultural Economics     Division of Agricultural Statistics
Federal-State Crop Reporting Service
C. D. Caparoont
Awricultural Statisticians
Emery C. Wilcox
Vol. XXIX, No. 10             State Capitol, Madison, Wisconsin         
      October 1950
IN THIS ISSUE
October Crop Report
Corn production prospects
have declined from the Septem-
ber estimate for Wisconsin. The
yield for corn now is 40 bushels
per acre compared with 50
bushels last year. Production of
small grains and hay have ex-
ceeded earlier estimates. Pas-
ture conditions on October 1
were better than a year ago
and above average. The nation
as a whole is having a good
crop year. Feed supplies are ex-
pected to be about as large as
last year.
Milk Production
Milk production on Wisconsin
farms so far this year is slightly
below last year. A small de-
cline in the nation's milk pro-
duction is also recorded.
Egg Production
Wisconsin farm flocks pro-
duced the largest number of
eggs on record for September
as a result of increases in the
number of layers and rate of
production per layer compared
with September last year. A
similar trend in egg production
is shown for the nation.
Prices Farmers Receive and
Pay
An advance of 2 percent from
August to September in the
general level of Wisconsin farm
product prices was much
smaller than the usual seasonal
increase.  Sharply increased
prices paid by farmers have
more than offset any gains in
prices received in the past year.
Current Trends
Slaughter of cattle, calves,
and sheep and lambs was
smaller in September than a
year earlier but the slaughter
of hogs this September is
larger. Cold storage holdings of
butter and cheese are much
above a year ago while stocks
of dried, condensed, and evapo-
rated milk products are smaller.
Special News Items (page 4)
Pheasant Survey
Farm Wage Rates
Alfalfa, Red Clover, and
Timothy Seed Production
HARD FROST on September 24
reached nearly all of Wisconsin.
With the corn crop as late as it was
this year considerable damage re-
sulted. Feed supplies, with the excep-
tion of corn, are quite good, but the
corn yields are the lowest in 5 years.
Present indications are that the
state's corn will average about 40
bushels per acre, which is 10 bushels
less than the record crop harvested in
this state last year and it is consid-
erably under earlier prospects.
Reports from Wisconsin crop re-
porters indicate that while there is
considerable good ripe corn in the
southern parts of the state there are
other parts which have much unripe
corn which will need to be used early
to keep it from spoiling. Also the
frozen corn is likely to show consid-
erable shrinkage and loss in weight.
While Wisconsin's corn crop is now
estimated at 102 million bushels
which is about 28 million bushels
less than last year, other feed crops
are making up a part of the reduc-
tion in corn. The oat crop in Wis-
consin has had a good year and it is
about 17 million bushels larger than
a year ago and the barley crop is up
over 2 million bushels. Hay produc-
tion in the state will exceed 7 million
tons this year which is nearly 900
thousand tons more than the state
harvested last year. However, a good
deal of the hay in Wisconsin this
year was damaged by rain during
harvesting and quality will probably
not average as well as in most other
years. The state's hay crop is the
largest since 1945.
The harvesting results of other late
fall crops vary considerably. The
sweet corn crop was a poor one and
some of it was frozen on Septem-
ber 24. The potato crop on the other
hand has had a good year and a rec-
ord yield of good quality potatoes has
been harvested in Wisconsin. The
cranberry crop is now estimated to be
a little over 200 thousand barrels
which is considerably lower than
earlier prospects indicated.
Pastures on October 1 were better
than they were a year ago and above
average in Wisconsin. This is also
true for the United States.
Generally, the nation as a whole is
having a rather good crop year. The
country's corn crop is about 8 percent
smaller than the good crop of last
year, but the oat crop is 12 percent
larger, the barley crop is up 26 per-
cent, and the rye crop is up also.
Wheat production is considerably
smaller than last year. There are
about 6 percent more potatoes, but
there is less flax and buckwheat. The
nation's tame hay crop is about 9 per-
cent larger than a year ago.
Weather Summary, September 1950
Temperature        Precipitation
Degrees Fahrenheit       Inches
Station i
n  a             -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~a
Duluth .     34   83   56.4 55.1  1.41 3.31 +0.88
Speoner   .  25   86   54.5 58.5  2.41 3.44  0.35
ParkFalls    25   80   55.4 55.9  0.84 4.17  3.09
Rhinelander  30   78   56.7 56.9  1.52 3.94-1.18
Wausau       30   83   60. 5 58.9  223 3.72 -
Marinette    30   79   60.0 62.5  2.31 3.52 -2.79
Escanaba     32   74   56.1 57.1  2.13 3.32  1.34
Minneapolis  36   86   62.6 61.4  1.46 3.13  5.82
Eau Claire   32   83   62.0 61.2  1.66 4.10 -3.72
LaCrosse     34   83   62.7 62.2  1.75 3.99 +2.16
Hancock      26   79   59.5 61,0  1.58 381 -1.36
Oshkosh      30   82   60.6 62.1  3.64 3.40 -1.33
Green Bay    29   79   57.9 60.4  2.20 3.52 +0.83
Manitowoc -  34   75   60.0 60.0  1.07 3.61 -3 .65
Dubuque      45   90   68.4 64.0  7.59 4.01 +6.74
Madison      37   79   61.3 62.4  2.47 3.72 +9.80
Beloit .     34   82   62.7 63.8  4.20 3.87
Milsauke     37   81   60.5 61.0  1.75 3.29 +4.42
__ __       -      _     __  __     _._    __  __
Average for
18 Stalions  32 2 S1.2 59.9 60.2  2.35 3.66 40. 04'
l Averap. for 1 04tation,
Grain Stocks on Farms
Nearly 14 million bushels of corn
were being held by Wisconsin farm-
ers on October 1. These farm stocks
of corn are about 6 million bushels
above a year ago and about 212 times
larger than average. In addition to
the   stocks   of corn, Wisconsin         farm-
ers have more oats, barley, and rye
on   hand    than     they  did  a  year ago.
Holdings     of   wheat     are   smaller    but
above    average. Oat stocks are          about
Grain Stocks on Farms
(October I estiiate-A)
Crop
Wis.
Corn2
Wheat
Oats.
Barley
Rye
Soy-
beans
U.S.
Corn2 _ _
Wheat
Oats
Barley
Rye --
Soy-
beans
Thousand bushels
on hand
1950
13,986
1,949
124,488
6,668
945
10
485,372
471,216
1,180,466
178,484
12,560
1,158
1949
7,918
2,369
106,697
4,666
873
10
708,443
472,209
1 ,053,296
148,973
8,692
2,147
10-yr.
av.
1939-48
5,349
1,624
98,892
4,1763
7673
193
336,336
509,354
1,030,827
175, 943
12,8933
3, 0483
Percent of
current year's
crop'
1950
18.0
93.0
01.0
76.0
78.0
4.0
15.6
46.7
79. S
S5.S
55. 8
0.5
1941
13.
94A.
89A.
73.C
73.C
S.1
20.E
41.2
79.0
62.8
46.6
1.
10 yr.
av.
1939-
46
10.0
H1.1
31.3
77,73
77,93
3.23
13.7
49.9
80.9
62.63
54.83
1.63
1Encept coro and soybeans which are from previous
year's crop.
23ased on carn for grain
3Short-timoe average.
Walter H. Ebling,