Drought and grasshoppers take a toll on wheat and barley production

As grain farmers painfully know drought and grasshoppers across the northern and western regions of the United States has hampered small grain production.

Specifically, for malt barley, Idaho barley production is forecasted to be down 36% from 2020, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Idaho is in better shape than Montana and North Dakota, the other top two barley producing states. The USDA is predicting barley production will be down 54% in Montana and 37% in North Dakota from last year.

The three states make up 79% of the U.S. malt barley production, so nationwide barley production will be down about 42%.

Cultivation of hard red spring wheat, typically the second largest class of U.S. wheat, is concentrated in the Northern Plains, where about 99 percent of production is being grown in an area experiencing drought. Harvest of this class is projected to fall 42% from the previous year to the lowest level in more than 30 years, while exports are expected to contract to the lowest volume in more than a decade. Montana is forecast to be 59% down from 2020 production.

Montana winter wheat is projected to be 31% from 2020 production. This is the lowest winter wheat production since 2002.

U.S. durum production, which is also concentrated in the Northern Plains, is also projected to fall substantially in the 2021/22 marketing year to the lowest level in 60 years. With the United States generally a net importer of durum, larger imports from Canada are expected. Montana durum production will be down an estimated 57% year-to-year decline.

Drought has also affected the Pacific Northwest region, where the majority of U.S. white wheat is produced, resulting in a 29% year-to-year decline in production of that class. With white wheat production at the lowest level on record dating back to the 1974/1975 marketing year, exports-mainly destined for markets in Asia-are projected down 41% from the prior marketing year.

Canada, from Vancouver to Manitoba is also experiencing drought.

Sources: USAgNet and https://magicvalley.com/business/agriculture/no-barley-no-beer-and-the-barley-crop-is-really-struggling-in-2021/article_64e33528-ff81-58b2-ab93-3fbf68fff372.html, https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Montana/Publications/News_Releases/2021/MT-Crop-Production-08122021.pdf