The latest Field Crop Review report from the Sacramento, Calif., Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, as of Jan. 21.

Cotton

California 2010 upland cotton production is estimated at 420,000 480-pound bales as of Jan. 1, an increase of 75 percent from last year. This is based on 123,000 acres for harvest. The yield calculates to 1,639 pounds per acre.

California 2010 American Pima cotton production is estimated at 456,000 480-pound bales, 26 percent above last year's crop. The yield of 1,216 pounds is 19 percent below 2009.

U.S. upland cotton production is estimated at 17.8 million 480-pound bales, up slightly from the Dec. 1 forecast and up 51 percent from last year. The U.S. yield for upland is estimated at 814 pounds per acre, up 7 pounds from last month and up 48 pounds from 2009.

U.S. American-Pima producers planted 204,200 acres, up 44 percent from last year. Harvested area, at 201,700 acres, is up 46 percent from last year.

Hay stocks

Stocks of all hay on California farms totaled 1.85 million tons as of Dec. 1, 2010, 23 percent below the 2.40 million tons on hand a year earlier.

As of Dec. 1, 2010, U.S. hay stocks on farms totaled 102 million tons, down 5 percent from a year ago. Disappearance from May-December 2010 totaled 64.4 million tons compared with 62.5 million tons for the same period a year ago.

Winter and durum wheat seeding

California farmers are expected to seed 730,000 acres to winter wheat for the 2011 crop, 11 percent above the 2010 crop.

The U.S. winter wheat seeded area for 2011 is estimated at 41.0 million acres, up 10 percent from 2010, but 5 percent below 2009.

Durum wheat seedings in Arizona and California for 2011 harvest are estimated at 235,000 acres, up 21 percent from the 2010, but 23 percent below 2009. Planted acreage is unchanged from last year in Arizona, but up 40,000 acres in California. Planting is ongoing in California's San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys.

Rice

California rice farmers produced 44.3 million cwt. of rice in 2010, 7 percent below the 47.8 million cwt. produced in 2009.

The 2010 crop included 312,000 cwt. of long grain rice, 5 percent below the 330,000 cwt. produced in 2009. Medium grain production totaled 41.4 million cwt., 5 percent below the 2009 crop. Short grain production was 2.6 million cwt., 31 percent below the previous year.

The overall yield of 8,020 pounds per acre was 580 pounds below 2009.

Planting and harvest trailed well behind normal in California where cool temperatures and wet conditions throughout much of the season limited crop growth and delayed field work. Favorable weather conditions in September allowed harvest to begin, but wet field conditions at the end of the harvest season affected the harvest progress and yields of late maturing varieties.

U.S. rice production in 2010 is estimated at a record high 243 million cwt., up 1 percent from the previous forecast and up 11 percent from 2009. Planted area is estimated at 3.64 million acres, up 16 percent from 2009.

Area harvested at 3.62 million acres is down slightly from the previous forecast, but up 17 percent from the previous crop year. The average yield for all U.S. rice is estimated at 6,725 pounds per acre, up 56 pounds from the previous forecast, but down 360 pounds from the 2009 yield.

Fall potatoes

California fall potato stocks were estimated at 1.40 million cwt., as of Jan. 1, 2011, 12.5 percent below last year. The amount in storage on Jan. 1 represents 61 percent of the production, compared to 40 percent a year ago.

Sweet potatoes

California sweet potato production for 2010 is estimated at 6.39 million cwt., an increase of 8 percent above last year's crop. Harvested acres are estimated at 18,000 acres, 3 percent above 2009. The yield of 355 cwt. per acre is 4 percent above the previous record high yield set last year.