U.S. growers planted a record amount of soybeans this spring, according to USDA’s June 30 Acreage report, while corn, cotton, and wheat acreage all saw declines from last year.
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimated soybean planted area for 2015 at a record high 85.1 million acres, up 2 percent – or 1.4 million acres – from last year, and also up some 500,000 acres from USDA’s March 31 Prospective Plantings report. The agency said soybean acreage records were set this year in Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
By contrast, corn planted for all purposes in 2015 was estimated at 88.9 million acres, down 2 percent – or 1.7 million acres – from last year and the lowest planted acreage in the U.S. since 2010. The corn total reflects a 302,000-acre drop from USDA’s March 31 Prospective Plantings report, with significant acreage declines noted in Minnesota, Indiana, and Missouri.
Cotton planted acreage took a bigger hit at 8.998 million acres this year, down a full 18 percent – or 2 million acres – from 2014. The estimate was also down some 550,000 acres from March intentions, with cotton acreage reductions reported in every producing state except Oklahoma.
All wheat planted area for 2015 was estimated at 56.1 million acres, down 1.3 percent from 2014, but ahead of the March projection of 55.367 million acres. Of this year’s total, 40.6 million acres was assigned to winter wheat, down 4 percent from last year; 13.5 million acres was spring wheat, up 4 percent from 2014; and 1.95 million acres was durum, up 40 percent from last year.
Sorghum planted area this year was estimated at 8.840 million acres, up 1.7 million – or 24 percent – from 2014, and also up significantly from March planting intentions of 7.9 million acres. This year’s sorghum total is the largest planted area in the U.S. since 2003, with acreage increases observed in every reporting state except Missouri.
Total area planted to rice in 2015 was estimated at 2.767 million acres, down from last year’s 2.939 million acres and also below March intentions of 2.915 million acres. USDA said rice acreage reductions were reported in every producing state, with the largest cutbacks observed in California and Arkansas.
NASS surveyed approximately 11,000 segments of land and more than 70,000 producers during the first two weeks of June to provide data for the report.