Winter wheat plantings match 2010 crop year

Wheat farmers in Washington state planted 1.75 million acres of winter wheat for harvest in 2011, the same amount as for the 2010 crop year. The Washington office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service last week released its report on winter wheat plantings. Nationally, wheat growers increased 2011 winter wheat plantings by 10 percent.

The Statistics Service said wheat stocks in Washington as of Dec. 1 were 109 million bushels, eight percent more than the previous year. Barley stocks in Washington as of Dec. 1 were 1.1 million bushels, up 100,000 bushels from 2009.