USDA
Table of Contents
- Agricultural Research Service News and Events
- Animal Welfare Information Center News
- Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
- West Nile Virus and Horses
- Economic Research Service News from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
- National Agricultural Statistics Service News
- National Agricultural Statistics Service's Daily Reports
- Top Stories from Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division (PECAD) at USDA
- Top Stories from Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division (PECAD) at USDA 2005
- World Agricultural Production News Feed from USDA, FAS-PECAD
USDA Agricultural Research Service
The United States Department of Agriculture- Time-Tunneling for Climate Change Clues
Read the magazine story to find out more.
ARS researchers have been studying plant reactions to changes in C02 levels, from the Ice Age—13,000 to 18,000 B.C.—to the year 2050 A.D. by growing them in long, plastic-covered "time tunnels."
Time-Tunneling for Climate Change Clues
By Don Comis
November 20, 2009If you look closely at individual plant species' responses in the past, you may find that the largest effects of high carbon dioxide (CO2) levels occurred decades ago, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. That is when the botanical structure of the world's grasslands changed dramatically, offering clues to the future.
For several years, Wayne Polley and Philip Fay, ecologists at the ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory in Temple, Texas, have been studying plant reactions to a gradient of CO2 levels, from the Ice Age—13,000 to 18,000 B.C.—to the year 2050 A.D. Their research supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture's priority of developing long-range global change strategies.
The ecologists do their research with "time tunnels." These are long, plastic-covered tunnels in which tall prairie grasses are exposed to increasing levels of CO2. These tunnels are an alternative to traditional open-top outdoor chambers in which plants are exposed to only one level of CO2 per chamber.
Among their recent findings is that grasses respond to higher CO2 levels by using water more efficiently. They have been measuring plant water use for four years now, ever since they modified the tunnels by placing them over steel-lined, soil-filled pits with soil-weighing lysimeters to measure soil water loss.
More efficient water use by prairie grasses sounds like a good thing, but weedy shrubs and grasses also benefit from increased water use efficiency. This may help weeds outcompete desirable forage plants. But the cumulative effects of these individual species' responses on plant communities won't be obvious for years.
Read more about this and other climate change research in the November/December 2009 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is USDA’s principal intramural scientific research agency.
- USDA Scientists, Colleagues Sequence Corn Genome
ARS computational biologist Doreen Ware and colleagues have completed a four-year effort to sequence the genome of corn. Click the image for more information about it.
USDA Scientists, Colleagues Sequence Corn Genome
By Dennis O'Brien
November 19, 2009WASHINGTON, November 19, 2009—U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and their colleagues have completed a four-year effort to sequence the genome of corn, an achievement expected to speed up development of corn varieties that will help feed the world and meet growing demands for using this important grain crop as a biofuel and animal feed. The results represent the largest and most complex plant genome sequenced to date, and are the cover story in the November 20 issue of the journal Science.
"Sequencing the corn genome will help researchers in the United States and around the world develop corn varieties to confront critical global challenges like climate change, hunger, and renewable energy," said Edward B. Knipling, administrator of USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency. "This effort will provide scientists a preliminary blueprint for identifying genetic pathways that will lead to a better understanding of corn and enable scientists to improve corn in a number of ways."
The sequencing will help researchers uncover the relationships between corn genes and traits, develop an overall picture of the plant's genetic makeup, and broaden understanding of how the complex interplay of genetics and environment determines the plant's health and viability. The work also is expected to lead to development of corn varieties with higher yields and better tolerance of droughts, pests and diseases. It also should help scientists produce varieties with fibers, stalks and cellular structures that will make corn a better source of biofuel.
The team, which included Doreen Ware, a computational biologist at the ARS Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health in Ithaca, N.Y., has released the most comprehensive draft sequence to date, providing the most detailed look thus far at the functional portions of the corn genome. Ware led the computational effort and is a lead author of the report along with Richard Wilson of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., and Patrick S. Schnable of Iowa State University at Ames. Other key participants in the project included the University of Arizona at Tucson and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, along with the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, jointly funded the $29.5 million effort.
Edward Buckler, an ARS geneticist at the Holley Center, and Ware also have used next generation sequencing data to assemble a haplotype genetic map of the corn genome that lays out portions of the genome shared by 27 diverse inbred lines of corn. A haplotype is a combination of alleles—alternative forms of genes—that are located closely together on the same chromosome and tend to be inherited together. The corn lines in the haplotype genetic map were selected specifically because they represent the vast majority of the genetic diversity in corn. By searching through these lines, researchers and breeders can unlock corn's genetic potential and significantly accelerate the breeding of plants to meet the demands of the growing world population and the challenges of global climate change. Buckler's "HapMap," which also is published in Science, shows a 30-fold variation in recombination rates, which are the rates that genetic material from parents mix to show up in the progeny. The map is designed to function like the human genome HapMap, making it easier to link genes and genetic patterns with significant traits, Buckler said. The researchers already are linking the HapMap to the basis of hybrid vigor.
Corn, known among scientists as maize, is one of world's most important crops. Corn was a $47 billion crop in the United States last year. It is the largest production crop worldwide, providing not only food for billions of people and livestock, but also critical feedstock for production of biofuels. Ware said the work should serve as a foundation for understanding and improving on other agricultural crops as well. Plants previously sequenced include rice, sorghum, poplar, grape and Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant widely studied as a model organism.
- Microwave Meter Measures Moisture and Density of In-Shell Peanuts
ARS scientists have developed a microwave meter that measures moisture and density of in-shell peanuts faster and easier, both important quality indicators. Image courtesy of Microsoft clipart.
Microwave Meter Measures Moisture and Density of In-Shell Peanuts
By Sharon Durham
November 19, 2009A microwave meter that instantaneously measures both moisture and density of in-shell peanuts has been developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists, making it easier and faster for producers and processors to determine these important quality indicators.
Moisture content is the most important factor in peanut quality. Kernel moisture content must be less than 10.5 percent, because higher levels can lead to the growth of fungi that produce aflatoxins, which cause illness in animals and humans.
The new apparatus measures density and moisture independently, eliminating an extra testing step and improving an earlier ARS technology that used radio frequencies to determine moisture content.
Using the new technology, peanut graders can determine peanut kernel moisture content with only about 0.5 percent standard error. ARS engineer Samir Trabelsi and retired ARS engineer Stuart O. Nelson, in the ARS Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit at the agency's Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center in Athens, Ga., developed the microwave meter. The method is rapid, nondestructive and eliminates the need for shelling the peanut pods.
In the new process, in-shell peanuts are loaded directly into the sample holder of the microwave meter, and an antenna transmits low-intensity microwaves into the peanut pods. The microwaves pass through the pods and are received by another antenna facing the transmitting antenna. Alterations in the energy level and velocity of the microwaves, as they pass through the pods, reveal moisture content in the kernels and bulk density of the peanut pods. A computer is attached to record moisture and density measurements. For moisture content determination, the new technique also eliminates the need for multiple calibrations and compensates for density and temperature.
The technology has been given a provisional patent and is being tested at five peanut buying stations in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina.
This research supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) priority of ensuring food safety. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency.
- Invasive Nettle Moth Triggers Hawaii Research
Nettle moth caterpillar (Darna pallivitta). Click the image for more information about it.
Invasive Nettle Moth Triggers Hawaii Research
By Marcia Wood
November 18, 2009Like children everywhere, kids in Hawaii love to run barefoot through tall grass. But an invasive pest called the nettle moth caterpillar can take the fun out of this simple childhood pleasure, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research entomologist Eric B. Jang.
The sharp, spiky hairs of the caterpillar, Darna pallivitta, can cause a painful, stinging sensation. Besides being a hindrance to childhood play, this agricultural pest poses a hazard to people working with palm plants and other commercially grown ornamentals that the insect attacks.
That's why Jang, who’s at the U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Hawaii, is working with colleagues in that state and elsewhere to explore new ways to thwart the insect.
In a highly experimental approach, Jang plans to use sexually sterilized fruit flies, such as sterilized melon flies, as winged carriers of an alluring nettle moth scent, a component of what's known as a pheromone. Sterile melon flies are a logical choice because techniques for producing large numbers of them—to disrupt their normal reproduction and cause their populations to crash—are already in place.
In theory, sterilized melon flies, each carrying a drop of the nettle moth chemical on its back, could be set free in moth-infested locales in Hawaii to quickly and inexpensively distribute the scent wherever they fly. Like decoys, the melon flies would create confusion among amorous male moths that use the scent to find female moths.
Jang and colleagues have described the concept and pheromone component in published scientific articles. ARS and the State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture have provided funding to Jang and co-researchers to pursue this innovative idea, known as "mobile mating disruption."
Former postdoctoral research associate Matthew S. Siderhurst identified and synthesized the nettle moth pheromone compound in early experiments funded by ARS and the Hawaii Invasive Species Council.
The pheromone component can also be placed in traps to detect the caterpillar and monitor its spread, Jang noted.
ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Studying Fertilizers to Cut Greenhouse Gases
Read the magazine story to find out more.
ARS scientists have found that using alternative types of fertilizers can cut back on greenhouse gas emissions from crop production, at least in one part of the country. Click the image for more information about it.
Studying Fertilizers to Cut Greenhouse Gases
By Dennis O'Brien
November 17, 2009Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have found that using alternative types of fertilizers can cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, at least in one part of the country. They are currently examining whether the alternatives offer similar benefits nationwide.
Nitrogen fertilizers are often a necessity for ensuring sufficient crop yields, but their use leads to release of nitrous oxide, a major greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. Fertilizer use is one reason an estimated 78 percent of the nation's nitrous oxide emissions come from agriculture, according to Ardell Halvorson, a soil scientist at the ARS Soil Plant Nutrient Research Laboratory in Fort Collins, Colo.
Halvorson compared nitrous oxide emissions from corn fields treated with either a conventional nitrogen fertilizer (urea) or either of two specially formulated urea fertilizers—one with "controlled release" polymer-coated pellets, and the other with inhibitors added to "stabilize" the urea to keep more of it in the soil as ammonium for a longer period.
In a two-year experiment at Fort Collins, he collected the emissions using static vented chambers, similar to small "pillbox" structures placed over the soil. He chose a no-till cropping system because it's known to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. He found that the controlled-release fertilizer cut nitrous oxide emissions by a third, and that the stabilized fertilizer cut them almost in half.
Halvorson's results are so far limited to the irrigated fields and cool, semi-arid conditions in and around Fort Collins. But nitrous oxide releases are the result of a complex interplay of conditions that vary from one area to the next, such as soil water content, soil temperatures, soil types, microbial activity, climactic conditions and rainfall patterns. So Halvorson is expanding the study, with support from the fertilizer industry and cooperation of other ARS locations, to see how the fertilizers respond at seven sites around the United States.
The research supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) priority of responding to climate change.
Read more about ARS climate change research in the November/December 2009 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency.
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AWIC
- Holiday Safety Tips
ASPCA - This holiday season, try to keep your pet’s eating and exercise habits as close to their normal routine as possible. And be sure to steer them clear of the unhealthy treats, toxic plants and dangerous decorations. http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/holiday-safety-tips.html - Scientists Link Protein to Mad-Cow Disease, May Lead to Cure
Bloomberg News - U.K. researchers linked a protein to the development of mad-cow disease and found a way to reduce it, a discovery that may lead to a treatment for the illness and its human form, according to a report today in PLoS Pathogens. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aqMy8q5f17pw - FEI Takes Steps on Equine Welfare, Doping Issues
@TheHorse - The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) announced November 17 that it has stepped up its efforts to ensure the welfare and humane treatment of horses being shown in FEI-recognized competitions. http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=15331 - FDA Takes Action Against Dairy Farm and Owner
Farm selling animals with illegal drug residues in violation of federal law. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm191232.htm - FDA Takes Action Against Maryland Veal Calf Dealer
Man allegedly sold animals for human consumption that contained illegal drug residues. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm191446.htm
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Avian Influenza
- Scientists Put Interactive Flu Tracking at Public's Fingertips
Science Daily - New methods of studying avian influenza strains and visually mapping their movement around the world will help scientists more quickly learn the behavior of the pandemic H1N1 flu virus, Ohio State University researchers say. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116114530.htm
- France: outbreak of low path avian flu
Vetsweb - The ag authorities of France reported an outbreak of low pathogenic avian influenza (H5) in a farm in Saint Aubin du Plain with 9,000 ducks, ready to be force-fed. The birds did not show clinical signs. http://www.vetsweb.com/news/france-outbreak-of-low-path-avian-flu-656.html
- UC Davis-Led Team Selected to Implement USAID Wildlife Surveillance Project
PR Newswire - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Global Health is pleased to announce a partnership with UC Davis to monitor for and increase the local capacity in "geographic hot spots" to identify the emergence of new infectious diseases in high-risk wildlife such as bats, rodents, and non-human primates that could pose a major threat to human health. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uc-davis-led-team-selected-to-implement-usaid-wildlife-surveillance-project-to-detect-and-predict-emerging-infectious-diseases-68895077.html
- Korea: Bird Flu outbreak worrying 11 Nov 2009
WorldPoultry.net - A low pathogenic avian influenza virus was discovered in excrement of migratory birds in a reservoir in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. http://www.worldpoultry.net/news/korea-bird-flu-outbreak-worrying-4531.html
- Fluffy, Fido and the flu: one cat so far
St. Catharines Standard - Pet owners with the flu might want to keep their distance from Fido and Fluffy after an American house cat was confirmed last week as having H1N1. http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2170516
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West Nile
- Mosquito spraying, West Nile dwindle in Central Louisiana
Alexandria Town Talk - West Nile virus, a major worry in Louisiana just a few years ago, has dwindled to almost nothing. http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20091117/NEWS01/911170317
- Genetics vs. bug-borne illness
Arizona Daily Star - Genetically engineered mosquitoes created by UA entomologists could provide a valuable weapon against malaria, dengue, West Nile and West Nile and other mosquito-transmitted diseases. http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/317273
- Kentucky Department of Agriculture - West Nile Virus 2009 Equine Summary
Office of State Veterinarian - West Nile Virus - 2009 Equine Summary - Updated 10/15/2009 http://www.kyagr.com/statevet/equine/westnile09.htm
- Mosquitoes continue to pose health risks in area
High Springs Heralds - In Alachua County, Florida, one horse was confirmed with the West Nile Virus this month, and two horses were reported with Eastern equine encephalitis between January and September. http://www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2009/10/22/news/news06.txt
- West Nile virus down but not out
Omaha World-Herald - The West Nile virus hit Nebraska hard in 2002-03. In 2002, the state had 1,100 confirmed cases of West Nile in equines — horses, donkeys and mules. http://www.omaha.com/article/20091025/NEWS01/710259899
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USDA Economic Research Service - What's New
The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America- DatelinERS Newsletter
The DatelinERS newsletter offers concise summaries of ERS reports and events with links to areas within our website. You can find it in our newsroom at <a href="http://www.ers.usda.gov/News/">www.ers.usda.gov/News/</a>. - Feed Grains Database
Interactive database that contains statistics on four feed grains (corn, grain sorghum, barley, and oats), foreign coarse grains (feed grains plus rye, millet, and mixed grains), hay, and related items. Tables previously published annually in the Feed Yearbook are available and updated continuously as data are added to the database. Custom queries also allow users to retrieve historical data. - Wheat Data
This data product contains statistics on wheat - including the five classes of wheat: hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, white, and durum - and rye. Includes data published in the monthly Wheat Outlook and previously annual Wheat Yearbook. Data are monthly, quarterly, and/or annual depending upon the data series. - Ethanol and a Changing Agricultural Landscape
The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 established specific targets for the production of biofuel in the United States. Until advanced technologies become commercially viable, meeting these targets will increase demand for traditional agricultural commodities used to produce ethanol, resulting in land-use, production, and price changes throughout the farm sector. This report summarizes the estimated effects of meeting the EISA targets for 2015 on regional agricultural production and the environment. Meeting EISA targets for ethanol production is estimated to expand U.S. cropped acreage by nearly 5 million acres by 2015, an increase of 1.6 percent over what would otherwise be expected. Much of the growth comes from corn acreage, which increases by 3.5 percent over baseline projections. Water quality and soil carbon will also be affected, in some cases by greater percentages than suggested by changes in the amount of cropped land. The economic and environmental implications of displacing a portion of cornethanol production with ethanol produced from crop residues are also estimated. - Meat Price Spreads
This data set provides monthly average price values, and the differences among those values, at the farm, wholesale, and retail stages of the production and marketing chain for selected cuts of beef, pork, and broilers. In addition, retail prices are provided for beef and pork cuts, turkey, whole chickens, eggs, and dairy products.
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USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service
National Agricultural Statistics Service provides timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U. S. agriculture.- NASS Releases New Census of Agriculture Profiles
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) today released county-level demographic profiles of U.S. farm and ranch operators. These profiles summarize data from the 2007 Census of Agriculture. - USDA Forecasts Generous Corn and Soybean Crops
Aided by the warm, dry weather, U.S. corn production is forecast at a near-record level, according to the Crop Production report, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). - USDA Conducting Fruit Chemical Use Survey
U.S. farmers successfully battled soggy July weather and remain on target for producing the largest soybean crop in history, according to the Crop Production report, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) - USDA Forecasts Plentiful Soybean Crop
U.S. farmers successfully battled soggy July weather and remain on target for producing the largest soybean crop in history, according to the Crop Production report, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) - Increase in Farm Production Expenditures Slows in 2008, USDA Reports
U.S. farm production expenditures totaled $307 billion in 2008, according to the Farm Production Expenditures 2008 Summary released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Total farm expenditures for 2008 rose 8.3 percent from the revised 2007 total of $284 billion – a slower increase than the prior year.
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USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service Reports
National Agricultural Statistics Service provides timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U. S. agriculture.- Crop Progress
NASS releases Crop Progress and Condition Estimates... - Turkey Hatchery
Eggs in Incubators on November 1 Down 6 Percent from Last Year. Poults Hatched During October Down 5 Percent from Last Year. Net Poults Placed During October... - Broiler Hatchery
Broiler-Type Eggs Set In 19 Selected States Down Slightly. Broiler Chicks Placed Down Slightly.... - Catfish Feed Deliveries
October 2009 Catfish Feed Deliveries Down 33 Percent from Last Year....
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Top Stories from Office of Global Analysis (OGA) at USDA
Global commodity production, area and yield estimates <br> for Grains, Oilseeds and Cotton.- Russia: Conditions Improving for 2010/11 Winter Grains
The planted area for 2010/11 winter grains in Russia is likely to surpass last year's level despite persistent dryness throughout the sowing campaign. Although the drought reportedly hampered crop emergence and establishment and necessitated replanting in some fields, timely rainfall reversed the dryness and winter crops likely escaped irreversible damage in most areas. - Late Summer Crop Travel to Central and Southeast Europe
Agricultural specialists from the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) traveled through several central and southeastern European countries during late August and early September to assess 2009 crop conditions. The main crops in this region include wheat, barley, corn, rapeseed, and sunflowerseed. The trip included visits to the European Union countries of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania, as well as non-EU member Serbia. - Western Australia 2009 Crop Travel: September 12-25, 2009
Western Australia (WA) is the country's major wheat-producing state and is the country's top grain exporting state. In recent years WA has also experienced expansion in production of other field crops including rapeseed, barley, oats, and lupines. Obviously, first-hand knowledge of agricultural production operations and circumstances would greatly contribute toward improvements in our crop forecasting program. - Ukraine: Fall Dryness for 2010/11 Winter Grains
Conditions for a portion of Ukraine's 2010/11 winter grains have been alarmingly unfavorable due to persistent dryness. Weather data and satellite imagery indicate that both surface and subsurface moisture during August and September were the lowest in recent years. Although the situation has improved following rainfall in late September and early October, the earlier dryness hampered the emergence and establishment of winter crops in significant areas of southern and eastern Ukraine. Subsurface moisture reserves remain significantly below normal. - Kazakhstan: Wheat Production Prospects and Trip Report
Specialists from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service conducted crop-assessment travel in north-central Kazakhstan during the second half of July. The team observed evidence of excessive and persistent dryness in a large portion of the country's key wheat production zone. The USDA forecasts Kazakhstan wheat production for 2009/10 at 14.0 million tons, down 0.5 million from last month.
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Top Stories from Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division (PECAD) at USDA
Global commodity production, area and yield estimates <br> for Grains, Oilseeds and Cotton.- Record 2005/06 Cotton Yields Expected for West African Franc Zone
The USDA December estimate of 2005/06 cotton production in West Africa's "Franc Zone" is 4.76 million bales, down 120,000 bales or 2 percent from last year's record harvest of 4.89 million bales. Area is estimated at 2.44 million hectares, down slightly from last year' s 2.61 million. Farmers planted less cotton than last year due largely to low world prices, but above-average rainfall this year is forecast to boost yields to a record of 425 kilograms of lint per hectare. - Europe: 2005/06 Corn Production Down in the EU, Up in the Balkans
USDA's December estimate for 2005/06 corn production in the European Union (EU) totals 46.9 million tons, down 6.4 million from last year. Although area was down 450,000 hectares from last season, the major factor affecting this year's crop was a severe but rather localized drought. The drought drastically lowered yields in two of the largest corn producing countries - France (the EU's largest) and Spain (typically ranked fourth). Meanwhile, abundant summer rain fell in Hungary, helping the EU's third largest corn producer to harvest another bumper crop, and slightly counteracting the large yield declines recorded in the Iberian Peninsula area. - Russia: Unfavorable Establishment Conditions for Winter Grains
Persistent fall dryness in Russia's key winter-grain production regions resulted in unfavorable establishment conditions for 2006/07 winter crops and likely contributed to a reduction in planted area. - Malaysia : Near Normal Rainfall Supports Palm Oil Output
Malaysia's national average rainfall in the third quarter of 2005 was slightly above normal. From July to September it was 214 millimeters per month compared to a normal of 200 millimeters. This level of rainfall is favorable for production that will occur in the second quarter of 2006. During the last 10 quarters, 6 quarters had below normal rainfall and 4 quarters above normal rainfall. Overall, this is expected to be moderately detrimental to palm oil yields for the next six quarters. The delayed effect of rainfall will be slightly positive from October 2005 to June 2006, and slightly negative from July 2006 to March 2007. - North Korea Grain Situation for 2005/06
The USDA estimates North Korea total grain production (including corn, milled rice, wheat, and barley) at 3.64 million tons, up 150,000 tons or 4 percent from last year and the largest crop since 1994/95. The total output is comprised chiefly of nearly equal parts corn and rice, although the proportion of corn has dropped over the past 15 years due to a decline in area.
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World Agricultural Production News Feed from USDA, FAS-OGA
World Agricultural Production (WAP) reports are prepared by the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Office of Global Analysis (OGA).<br> The reports are based on information compiled from the FAS global network of agricultural attachés and counselors,<br> official statistics of foreign governments, other foreign data sources,<br> satellite imagery, and economic analyses.<br>- World Agricultural Production - November 2009
Circular Series<br>WAP 11-09<br>November 2009 - World Agricultural Production - Archive
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