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Other Crops	Printer Friendly

In addition to corn, grain sorghum, and soybeans, a number of other grain and oilseed crops currently produced in the U.S. could also serve as bioenergy and bioproduct resources. The development of new industrial enzymes that improve the efficiency of hydrolyzing starch from wheat, barley, and other grains increases their potential to be used for bioenergy and bioproducts. Oilseeds other than soybeans can also be used to produce industrial products. Table 1 summarizes the 2005 harvested acres, yields, and production for selected crops.

Wheat and Barley
Wheat is the principal food grain crop produced in the U.S. On average, around 50 million acres of wheat are harvested each year (range of 45.8 to 53.1 million acres between 2000 and 2005).  Production is concentrated in the upper Midwest, Plains States, and Pacific Northwest, but some production occurs in most states. About 67% is winter wheat (wheat planted in the fall and harvested the next spring) (figure 1) and about 28% is spring wheat (wheat planted in the spring and harvested the same year) (figure 2). The remaining wheat acres are planted to specialty varieties such as durham wheat. Average national yields of winter wheat are 43 bu/ac (range of 38.2 and 46.7 bu/ac over the last seven years). National average spring wheat yields have ranged between 29.1 and 43.2 bu/ac between 2000 and 2006 (USDA-NASS).   Wheat production is projected to increase in the near term. The USDA projects 2.3 billion bushels of production by 2015 (average national yields of 46.3 bu/ac; 49.7 million harvested acres) (USDA OCE). FAPRI projects wheat production of 57.73 thousand metric tons (2.12 billion bushels; yields of 44.4 bu/ac; 47.7 million harvested acres) by 2015 (FAPRI, 2006). A workshop of crop experts (English, 1997) projected national average grain yields of 69 and 80 bu/ac by 2030 and 2050 respectively (compared to 1990-1992 yields of 38 bu/ac) resulting from genetic, management, and equipment improvements.                              Barley production has been steadily declining in recent years.  In 2000, about 5.2 million acres were harvested, but only 3.27 million acres were harvested in 2005. The national average yield for barley has ranged from a low of 55 bu/ac to a high of 69.6 bu/ac between 2000 and 2005. Barley is produced in 22 states, primarily in the Northern Plains, Pacific States, Lake States, and Mid-Atlantic states and is used mainly for livestock feed and in the brewery industry (figure 3). Barley production is projected to decline slightly over the next decade. The USDA projects barley production of 250 million bushels (based on grain yields of 69.8 bushels/acres and 3.6 million harvested acres) by 2015 (USDA OCE). FAPRI projects barley production of 4.54 million metric tons (208 million bushels assuming average national barley grain yields of 68.8 bu/ac and 3.03 million harvested acres) by 2015 (FAPRI, 2006). A workshop of crop and livestock experts (English, 1997) projected that under the mostly likely scenario, average national barley grain yields of 85 bu/ac and 110 bu/ac could be achieved by 2030 and 2050 respectively (compared to 1990-1992 yields of 58 bushels/acre) resulting from combined genetic, management, and equipment improvements.

Oats
Oat production is limited and geographically dispersed, occurring in 25 states spread throughout the U.S. (figure 4). Oats are produced for human consumption and for animal feed (mainly horses). Harvested acres have declined from 2.33 million in 2000 to 1.58 million acres in 2005. National average yields (from 2000 to 2006) have ranged from 56.4 bu/ac to 64.7 bu/ac (USDA-NASS). Oat production is projected to remain stable to increasing in the next decade. The USDA projects oat production of 135 million bushels (based on average national oat grain yields of 66.4 bu/ac and 2.0 million harvested acres) by 2015 (USDA OCE). FAPRI projects oat production of 1.66 million metric tons (114 million bushels with assumed average national oat grain yields of 66.2 bu/ac and 1.72 million harvested acres) by 2015 (FAPRI, 2006). A workshop of crop experts (English, 1997) projected that under the mostly likely scenario, average national oat grain yields of 90 and 120 bu/ac could be achieved by 2030 and 2050 respectively (compared to 1990-1992 yields of 59 bu/ac) resulting from combined genetic, management, and equipment improvements.

Rye
Rye production is limited in the U.S., ranging from 263,000 to 319,000 harvested acres (average of 283,000 harvested acres) over the past seven years with national average yields ranging from 24.7 to 28.3 bu/ac (USDA-NASS). Production occurs principally in Georgia and Oklahoma and occasionally in North and South Dakota (figure 5). Projected future production estimates weren’t found.

Oilseed Crops
Sunflowers. Sunflower production occurs in the Plains States (figure 6). Sunflower seeds are produced for human consumption, livestock feed, and bird seed. Harvested acres have ranged from 1.71 and 2.65 million acres between 2000 and 2005 and national average yields have ranged from 1,131 to 1,540 lbs/ac during the same time period (USDA-NASS). Sunflower production is projected to decline in the near term. FAPRI projects sunflower seed production of 1.44 million metric tons (3.17 million pounds; average national seed yields of 1,470 lbs/ac; 2.15 million harvested acres) by 2015 (FAPRI, 2006). A workshop of crop experts (English, 1997) projected that under the mostly likely scenario, average national sunflower seed yields of 2,500 and 3,200 lbs/ac could be achieved by 2030 and 2050 respectively (compared to 1990-1992 yields of 1,279 lbs/ac) resulting from combined genetic, management, and equipment improvements.               Miscellaneous Oilseeds. Other miscellaneous oilseed crops that are currently produced in the U.S. and that could be a source of oil for bioenergy and bioproducts include safflower and flaxseed. Acres and total production of both crops are limited. Harvested safflower acres have ranged from 160,000 acres to 213,000 acres between 2000 and 2005 and total production has ranged from 191 to 282 million pounds (yields ranged from 1,204 to 1,435 lbs/ac). Flaxseed production has ranged from 10.4 to 19.7 million bushels between 2000 and 2005 (yield range of 16.9 to 20.8 bu/ac and harvested acre range from 517,000 to 955,000). Montana is the largest producer of both crops.