Rice returns to top of Arkansas' crop values.Value of Broilers Produced in State Increases 20 Percent to $2.1 BillionDespite average prices falling off slightly last year, rice regained the top spot on Arkansas' agricultural menu, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. information compiled from the Arkansas Arkansas, river, United States Arkansas (ärkăn`zəs, är`kənsô'), river, c.1,450 mi (2,330 km) long, rising in the Rocky Mts., central Colo. Agricultural Statistics Service and the Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistical Service. In total, Arkansas farmers produced 77.4 million hundredweight hun·dred·weight n. pl. hundredweight or hun·dred·weights Abbr. cwt 1. A unit of weight in the U.S. Customary System equal to 100 pounds (45.36 kilograms). of rice, up from 72.0 million in 1996. Arkansas still leads the nation in the amount of rice grown annually and produces 42 percent of the rice grown in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . With soybean soybean, soya bean, or soy pea, leguminous plant (Glycine max, G. soja, or Soja max) of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Asia, where it has been prices above $7 per bushel bushel: see English units of measurement. for most of 1996, the crop surpassed rice as that year's largest crop. Although Arkansas farmers remained interested in soybeans last year and actually planted 50,000 more acres of soybeans than in 1996, prices were down an average of 12 percent. Average crop yield was also down slightly, from 32 bushels to 30.5 bushels per acre. Farm operators also took advantage of high corn prices in 1995 and 1996 and increased the number of acres of planted corn. Farmers' interest in corn remained strong in 1997 with 21.9 million bushels of corn produced for grain purposes, In 1996, Arkansas farms produced 28.7 million bushels of corn. Wheat production also peaked in 1996 at 66.9 million bushels and was down last year at 39.4 million bushels. In all, about 30 percent of the state's land area is used for crop land. The state has 44,000 farms and ranches. The average Arkansas agricultural producer is 53 year old, farms 341 acres and produces enough food to feed 114 people for a year. Commodities The state's poultry poultry, domesticated fowl kept primarily for meat and eggs; including birds of the order Galliformes, e.g., the chicken, turkey, guinea fowl, pheasant, quail, and peacock; and natatorial (swimming) birds, e.g., the duck and goose. industry had another record-setting year during 1996, according to the Arkansas Agricultural Statistics Service (1997 totals are not yet available). A total of 1.15 billion chickens were raised and slaughtered in the state in 1997 at an estimated value of $2.12 billion. More broilers are produced in Arkansas than in Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas and Florida combined. For the second year, cattle revenue was down. In 1996, beef sales in the state totaled $206.4 million, down from $265.8 million in 1995. The price that livestock livestock Farm animals, with the exception of poultry. In Western countries the category encompasses primarily cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses, donkeys, and mules; other animals (e.g., buffalo, oxen, or camels) may predominate in other areas. farmers got for beef was down from 49 cents to 43 cents per pound. Hog hog: see swine. hog Heavy, fat-producing domesticated pig developed in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th century. As the growing use of cheaper vegetable oils decreased the importance of lard as a source of fat, meatpackers sought hogs farmers got an average of 10 cents per pound more in 1996 than during the previous year, helping total sales of that commodity to increase 24 percent in 1996. Average Annual Prices Crop (unit of measure) 1995 1996 1997 Corn for Grain (bushel) $3.240 $2.710 $2.600 Sorghum (bushel) 3.190 2.340 2.250 All Wheat (bushel) 4.550 4.300 3.450 Rice (cwt.) 9.150 9.960 9.750 Soybeans for Beans (bushel) 6.720 7.350 6.500 All Cotton (lbs.) 0.765 0.705 0.674 All Hay, Baled (ton) 82.200 95.800 102.500 Apples, Comm'l (lbs.) 0.170 0.159 0.166 Grapes (ton) 346.000 428.000 394.000 Peaches (lbs.) 0.185 0.192 0.179 Strawberries (cwt.) 50.700 47.300 55.600 Pecans (lbs.) 1.010 0.637 0.945 Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service. |
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