Winter wheat acreage, typically planted in the fall, is expected to increase 27% in Alabama this year, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released in March.
The increase is likely the result of normal fall planting conditions returning to Alabama, according to Carla Hornady, the director of the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Cotton, Soybeans and Wheat & Feed Grains divisions.
The USDA is predicting state farmers will plant about 190,000 acres, up from 150,000 the previous year.
Mark Byrd, president of the Morgan County Farmers Federation, planned to start harvesting 300 acres of winter wheat Wednesday.
“It’s hot and dry, and that’s exactly what we need for harvesting,” says Byrd, who’s been farming for 35 years.
