There are even fewer U.S. wheat acres in the ground this year than expected, with the USDA lowering estimates for winter wheat, other spring wheat, and durum in its June acreage report.
Released Tuesday, the report pegged total 2026 U.S. wheat area at 42.74 million acres, down about 1.06 million acres, or 2.4%, from the government’s March projection of 43.8 million. The June figure was also about 1.06 million acres below the average Bloomberg trade expectation of 43.8 million acres.
Compared with last year, all-wheat plantings fell 5.7% from 45.328 million acres.
Winter wheat accounted for most of the decline from March. The USDA estimated winter wheat area at 31.52 million acres, down approximately 880,000 acres, or 2.7%, from the March estimate of 32.4 million. That was also 4.9% below the 33.153 million acres planted in 2025.
The winter wheat total included about 22.4 million acres of Hard Red Winter wheat, 5.54 million acres of Soft Red Winter and 3.55 million acres of White Winter.
Other spring wheat area was estimated at 9.39 million acres, down 30,000 acres from the March intention of 9.42 million and 110,000 acres below the 9.5 million expected by traders. Plantings were 6% below the 9.99 million acres seeded in 2025.
Durum area fell to 1.83 million acres, down 120,000 acres, or 6.2%, from the March estimate of 1.95 million. The total was also 170,000 acres below the average trade expectation of 2 million acres and 16.2% below the 2.185 million acres seeded last year.
North Dakota farmers planted 4.5 million acres of spring wheat this year, down 200,000 acres from March and 600,000 from last year. Minnesota area fell to 1.03 million acres from 1.04 million in March and 1.15 million in 2025.
South Dakota spring wheat area was estimated at 630,000 acres, down from 650,000 in March and 680,000 last year. Montana moved in the opposite direction, with plantings rising to 2.35 million acres from 2.15 million in both March and 2025.
North Dakota durum area dropped to 980,000 acres, compared with 1.07 million in March and 1.23 million in 2025. Montana farmers planted 780,000 acres, down from the March forecast of 800,000 and last year’s 890,000.
Among the major winter wheat states, Kansas area was lowered to 6.9 million acres from 7 million in March and 7.3 million last year. Oklahoma fell more sharply to 4.1 million acres from the March estimate of 4.4 million, putting plantings slightly below the 4.15 million acres seeded in 2025.
Michigan winter wheat area was estimated at 500,000 acres, down from 520,000 in March and 530,000 last year. Ohio fell to 520,000 acres from 540,000 in March and 570,000 in 2025.
The USDA forecast 32.063 million acres of all wheat will be harvested in 2026, down sharply from 37.241 million acres last year.
