Spring wheat, barley plantings will increase

Washington wheat growers are expected to increase wheat plantings five percent over the 2010 crop, according to data from the Washington state field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

A survey of farmers showed the expected 650,000-acres of spring wheat plantings this year will be as high as they have been in 20 years, according to Linda Simpson of the statistics service. The expected planting figure is 12 percent above last year.

Farmers planted 1.8 million acres of winter wheat last fall. Altogether, wheat acreage is expected to be up five percent from 2010.

Barley plantings are expected to go up for the first time in four years, said Simpson. Growers estimated they would plant 95,000-acres of barley this year, up 5,000 from last year.

The increased spring wheat and barley plantings will mean fewer acres of peas and lentils in area fields.

Simpson said lentil plantings are expected to be down 10 percent from last year while pea plantings are down four percent.

Simpson noted planting figures could still change before an actual planting report is released in June.