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 plant...