(Washington) — The U-S Department of Agriculture issued its annual Prospective Plantings report on Friday. Farmers surveyed across the United States intend to plant an estimated 89.5 million acres of soybeans in 2017, up 7 percent from last year,and a record high, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). If realized, soybeans will surpass the previous record of 83.4 million acres planted in the
United States last year.
Planted acreage intentions for soybeans are up or unchanged in 27 of the 31 estimating states. The largest increase is expected in Kansas with 5 million acres, an increase of 950,000 acres from 2016. If realized, the planted area of soybeans in Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota,
Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wisconsin will be the largest on record.
Corn growers intend to plant 90 million acres in 2017, down 4 percent from last year, but 2 percent higher than in 2015. Expected returns for corn are anticipated to be lower compared with other crops in 2017.
The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey based estimates of U.S. farmers’ 2017 planting intentions.
Like the national average, Iowa farmers also intend to decrease their corn acreage four percent from 13,900,000 acres in 2016 to this year at 13,300,000 acres. As for soybeans, Iowa farmers indicated they will plant six percent more acres than
last year. Farmers in the Hawkeye state planted 9,500,000 acres of soybeans in 2016. This year, early indications show Iowa farmers intend to plant 10,100,000 acres of soybeans.
