
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, August 12, 1993                   TAG: 9308120286
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

DRY WEATHER MAY YIELD SLIM HARVEST

Statewide harvests of corn and soybeans are predicted to drop substantially because of the summer drought, agriculture officials said Wednesday.

The Virginia Agricultural Statistics Service said corn yields are projected to fall 44 percent and soybean yields will drop at least 26 percent from 1992 levels.

The state's peanut and flue-cured tobacco crops, however, are expected to be off only slightly, according to the first 1993 yield forecast released by the agricultural reporting service.

The report is based upon conditions as of Aug. 1, said Robert T. Bass, state statistician.

Corn production is expected to reach 22.4 million bushels, agricultural officials said. About 320,000 acres of corn are expected to be harvested for grain, down 25,000 acres from last year. The yield per acre for corn used as grain is expected to average only 70 bushels this year, down 46 bushels from last year's record level.

Soybean production is forecast at 11.5 million bushels. Yields are projected to average 24 bushels per acre, down 7 bushels from 1992.

The harvest of soybeans is expected to total 480,000 acres, down 20,000 acres from 1992.

Peanut production is expected to total 248.4 million pounds, down 3 percent from last year.

Alfalfa hay yields are expected to average 3.4 tons per acre, down one-tenth of a ton from last year.

Memo: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro.

by CNB