U.S. Corn Acreage Set for Dramatic Increase in 2016

Corn producers across the United States are expected to be busier than normal this planting season thanks to an increase in corn acreage.
Corn producers across the United States are expected to be busier than normal this planting season thanks to an increase in corn acreage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service announced on March 31 that U.S. corn growers expect to plant 93.6 million acres of corn this year, which would mark the first increase in corn planted acreage since 2012. If this projection is reached, it would be the third largest corn acreage since 1944.

Corn growers in 41 of the 48 contiguous states expect to either maintain or increase the number of acres they use to plant corn. Further, producers in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and North Dakota expect to increase their corn acreage by 400,000 or more acres in 2016.

Soybean growers across the U.S. are projected to head in the opposite direction. In 2016, producers expect to plant 82.2 million acres of soybeans, which is a decrease of less than one percent compared to 2015. Louisiana, Minnesota and Mississippi growers predict to decrease soybean acreage by 200,000 or more in 2016.

However, there are exceptions to the overall decrease across the country. Planters in North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin expect to see record-high soybean acreages in their respective states.

When the report was released last year, U.S. growers were projected to plant a record-high 84.6 million acres of soybeans in 2015. Arkansas, Ohio and Iowa expected increases of 200,000 acres or more in 2015.

More information on the Prospective Plantings report and other findings from the NASS can be found on www.nass.usda.gov.