The Delmarva Jordbruk Chronicles:
Status Of Market
Wheat Farming In Virginia

April 23, 2021

Winter wheat was ready for harvest in Northampton County, Virginia.
(This photograph was provided courtesy of Rick Guilfoyle, June 15, 2019.)

Wheat farms dot the landscape of Accomack and Northampton Counties in the Delmarva Area of Virginia.  More winter wheat was harvested in each of these two counties than in any other county in the Commonwealth in 2020.  Northampton County was number one in winter wheat harvests in Virginia, and Accomack County was number two for winter wheat harvests.  While more winter wheat was planted in Northampton County than any other county in the Commonwealth in 2020, more winter wheat was planted in each of Essex County and Southampton County than in Accomack County in 2020.

“Overall, wheat remains an important crop for a variety of reasons,” said Mr. Michael Wallace, Director of Communications for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  “In areas near the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, wheat has a significant environmental, water quality and soil health benefit.  The crop also offers farmers some flexibility.  Farmers may choose to use it as a cash crop to double crop production systems when wheat prices are higher.  When wheat prices are lower, farmers may use the crop for environmental and soil health benefits while taking advantage of cost share programs.”

According to annual surveys completed by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1,320,000 bushels of winter wheat was produced in Eastern Shore of Virginia in 2020.  Unless otherwise cited, statistics detailed in this news column are from this source.

The number of acres planted and harvested with winter wheat as well as the production of the crop have remained relatively stable during recent years in the two counties of Virginia that comprise the Eastern Shore of the Commonwealth.

A total of 23,600 acres were planted with winter wheat in the two Virginia counties in 2020.  In 2019, it was 22,100 acres;  in 2018, 22,200 acres;  and in 2017, 22,100 acres.

Harvested acres of winter wheat in Accomack and Northampton Counties increased to 18,200 acres in 2020 from 16,700 acres in 2019.  Both harvests represented decreases from the harvest of 2018 (18,700 acres) and 2017 (19,000 acres).

Compared with other locales in the Commonwealth, both Accomack and Northampton Counties were also the top two counties for winter wheat harvests in 2019.  While Northampton County was the top county for planting and for harvesting of winter wheat in 2018, farmers in Caroline County planted more winter wheat and had larger harvests in 2018 than Accomack County in that year.  In 2017, the two counties in Virginia’s section of the Delmarva were the top two counties for both planting and harvesting of winter wheat.

“Most of the wheat that is harvested for grain on the Eastern Shore is marketed through two local poultry companies; one is located in Virginia and the other in Delaware,” stated Mr. Wallace.  “The two poultry companies use feed wheat in their feed rations and the milling wheat is marketed by those companies throughout the mid-Atlantic and internationally.”

Yields per acre of winter wheat have not varied more than 7 bushels per acre in recent years in these two counties.  In 2020, the yield in Northampton County (73.9 bushels per acre) was the highest in Virginia.  The yield in Accomack County (71 bushels per acre) was the third highest in the Commonwealth;  Middlesex County (72.7 bushels per acre) had a higher yield in 2020.  Yields in Accomack County were 66.9 bushels per acre in 2019, 70.7 bushels per acre in 2018, and 70.8 bushels per acre in 2017, while yields in Northampton County were 67.6 bushels per acre in 2019, 66.4 bushels per acre in 2018, and 68 bushels per acre in 2017.

Overall volume of winter wheat harvested has varied somewhat during the past few years.  In 2020, as noted above, 1,320,000 bushels of winter wheat was produced in the Virginia section of the Delmarva.  That was an increase from the production levels in each of the immediate previous years.  In 2019, 1,123,000 bushels of winter wheat were produced;  in 2018, 1,277,000 bushels;  and in 2017, 1,318,000 bushels.

Weather has directly impacted wheat farming in the Eastern Shore.

“Extremely wet periods, during both the fall planting season and the late spring/early summer harvest, have greatly affected the production of wheat in Virginia,” noted Mr. Wallace.  “Because of the changes in climate, growers are having more difficulty growing wheat than in the past.”

This year’s harvest will likely be lower than in recent years.

“Due to heavy rainfall during the fall of 2020, growers had a hard time getting their wheat planted,” said Mr. Wallace.  “In addition, the crop has been exposed to extreme wet conditions since planting which will most likely reduce wheat yields during the June harvest.”

According to the Commonwealth, planting of winter wheat in the fourth quarter will likely depend on the status of the economy later this year.  “If wheat prices continue to remain high into the fall of 2021, growers may potentially increase their planting intentions to capitalize on increased profit potential,” stated Mr. Wallace.  “Higher oil prices usually result in higher fertilizer prices, which could affect profit potential.  In this scenario, farmers would likely not increase the planting of wheat acres in the fall of 2021.”

Wheat farming is part of sustainability efforts in the Delmarva and throughout the Commonwealth.

“Most growers in Virginia plant wheat through a no-till production method, which means that they do not till the soil,” explained Mr. Wallace.  “By using this production method, soil erosion and runoff into the Chesapeake Bay tributaries is minimal.  When wheat grows during the winter months, it helps to increase soil organic matter and soil moisture, while also providing natural soil fertility.  For this reason, some growers use winter wheat primarily as a cover crop rather than a cash crop.”

Wheat Growing in Melfa in Accomack County, Virginia.
(This photograph was provided courtesy of Andrew Karr, June 20, 2015.)

The Delmarva Jordbruk Chronicles is a news column that details agriculture in Delaware
and the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia. “Jordbruk” is Swedish for “Agriculture.”
Please contact Richard McDonough at delmarvajordbruk@protonmail.com.

© 2021 Richard McDonough