| OCR Text |
Show Crop production forecast shows good fruit yield Unfavorable weather conditions and the PIK program will cause Utah farmers to harvest smaller grain and potato crops this year, but Utah's fruit production prospects are very good. Pasture and range condition was rated very good over most of the state. Figures released today by the Utah Crop and Livestock Reporting Service show winter wheat production at 6.8 million bushels, down 14 percent from last year, and 17 percent below 1981. Barley production, at 11.5 million bushels is down 13 percent from last year, but up 4 percent from the 1981 crop. Oat production is set at 819,000 bushels, down 15 percent from 1982, but up 3 percent from the 1981 production produc-tion total. Potato acres for harvest is estimated at 4,900, down 16 percent from both 1981 and 1982. Production of apples is estimated at ,. 58 million pounds, up 7 percent from 1981 and 82, peach production is estimated at 13 million pounds, almost 4 times the 1982 production, and 8 percent per-cent higher than 1981. Pear production is projected at 3100 tons, up 11 percent from 1982, and equal to the 1981 total, and apricot production, at 1600 tons, is 8 times the low 1982 total, and equal to the 1981 production figure. Production of sweet cherries is estimated at 4,,700 tons, more than double dou-ble the 1982 total, and 4 percent higher than 1981, while tart cherry production, produc-tion, at 16.5 pounds, up 82 percent from the 1982, and 18 percent higher than the 1981 total. U. S. barley production is estimated at a record high 560 million bushels, up 7 percent from last year's record high. Winter wheat production is forecast at 1.94 billion bushels, down 8 percent from last year. Oat production is forecast to drop 16 percent from the 1982 figure. Potato acreage, at 1.23 milion acres is down 3 percent from last year. Production of apples, pears and oranges is expected to exceed last year's levels, but the peach crop is expected ex-pected to decline 7 percent from last year's output. |
