RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A survey of Virginia growers forecasts increased acres devoted to soybeans, tobacco, barley and wheat, while cotton and peanut plantings are down.
The survey of Virginia producers was conducted in early June by the National Agriculture Statistics Services. Plantings for three signature crops - tobacco, peanuts and cotton - offer a mixed bag. Tobacco plantings are up 9 percent, while cotton declined 19 percent and peanuts 30 percent.
Nearly 1.3 million acres are devoted to hay, a decrease of less than 1 percent.
Corn producers planted 470,000 acres, down about 8 percent. Another crop with a big footprint, soybeans, is down 20,000 acres to 610,000 acres.
Peanut grower planted 14,000 acres, down 6,000 acres from last year. Finally, cotton acres totaled 70,000 acres, a decline of 16,000 acres.
