MADISON, Wis. — Winter wheat production in Wisconsin was estimated at 17.5 million bushels, down 5 percent from 2022 according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Small Grains 2023 Summary. Planted area, at 280,000 acres, was down 7 percent from last year. Winter wheat area harvested for grain was 230,000 acres, down 2 percent from last year. Winter wheat yield, at 76.0 bushels per acre, was down 2.0 bushels per acre from last year. 

Oat production was estimated at 4.58 million bushels, down 5 percent from last year. Oats planted, at 135,000 acres, was down 4 percent from last year. Harvested area for grain was 75,000 acres, up 15 percent from the harvested acres in 2022. Oat yield, at 61.0 bushels per acre, was down 13.0 bushels per acre from last year. 

Barley production, estimated at 126,000 bushels, was down 24 percent from last year. Planted area, at 12,000 acres, was down 14 percent from 2022. Harvested area for grain, at 2,000 acres, was down 33 percent from last year. The Wisconsin barley yield was 63.0 bushels per acre, up 8.0 bushels per acre from last year. 

Rye production in Wisconsin was estimated at 615,000 bushels, down 47 percent from last year. Planted area, at 240,000 acres, was up 4 percent from 2022. Harvested area for grain, at 15,000 acres, was down 25 percent from last year. The Wisconsin rye yield was 41.0 bushels per acre, down 17.0 bushels per acre from last year.

United States Summary 

All wheat production totaled 1.81 billion bushels in 2023, up 10 percent from the 2022 total of 1.65 billion bushels. Area harvested for grain totaled 37.3 million acres, up 5 percent from the previous year. The United States yield was estimated at 48.6 bushels per acre, up 2.1 bushels from the previous year. The levels of production and changes from 2022 by type were: winter wheat, 1.25 billion bushels, up 13 percent; other spring wheat, 505 million bushels, up 5 percent; and Durum wheat, 59.3 million bushels, down 7 percent. 

Oat production was estimated at 57.0 million bushels, down 1 percent from 2022. Yield was estimated at 68.6 bushels per acre, up 3.8 bushels from the previous year. Harvested area, at 831 thousand acres, was 7 percent below last year. 

Barley production was estimated at 185 million bushels, up 6 percent from the 2022 total of 175 million bushels. The average yield, at 72.4 bushels per acre, was up 0.8 bushel from the previous year. Producers seeded 3.10 million acres in 2023, up 5 percent from 2022. Harvested area, at 2.56 million acres, was up 4 percent from 2022. 

Rye production for 2023 was estimated at 10.4 million bushels, down 16 percent from the 2022 total. Harvested area totaled 322,000 acres, down 19,000 acres from 2022. The United States yield was 32.2 bushels per acre and was down 3.9 bushels from 2022. Planted area totaled 2.29 million acres, up 5 percent from 2022, and was the highest since 1988. Much of those acres were used as a cover crop. 

The complete report can be found on the USDA NASS website at www.nass.usda.gov/Publications.

— USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service