More Corn and Soybean Acres; Less Cotton and Wheat

WASHINGTON, DC – Farmers in the United States intend to plant an estimated 97 million acres of corn in 2020, up 8 percent from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released Tuesday by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Intentions for corn are up or unchanged in 38 of the 48 states. South Dakota, with 6.00 million acres, had the largest increase from 2019. If realized, acreage in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon will be the largest on record. Soybean growers intend to plant 83.5 million acres, a 10 percent increase from last year. If realized this will be the third-highest planted acreage on record. Compared with last year, planted acreage is expected to be equal or higher in 22 of the 29 states. The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey-based estimates of domestic planting intentions and is based on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March. For wheat, USDA projects the smallest acreage in over 100 years of records (44.7 million acres). Cotton acreage is expected to total 13.7 million acres, a fraction below last year. Farmers are also expected to plant more sorghum in 2020, an 11 percent year over year increase (5.8 million acres).