U.S. all wheat area is projected to fall to the lowest on record this year, with winter wheat, spring wheat, and durum all losing ground compared to a year ago.
The USDA’s Prospective Plantings report on Tuesday pegged national all wheat area for 2026 at 43.8 million acres, down 3% from a year earlier and potentially the lowest all-wheat area since records began in 1919. The estimate also fell short of the average pre-report trade guess of 44.6 million.
Winter wheat - which accounts for the largest share of total U.S. wheat – was reported at 32.4 million acres, down 2% from both the previous estimate in January and last year. That total includes about 23.1 million acres of Hard Red Winter, 5.79 million acres of Soft Red Winter, and 3.54 million acres of White Winter
Meanwhile, area intended for other spring wheat was estimated at 9.42 million acres, down 6% from 2025, and the lowest since 1970. The estimate also fell below the average pre-report trade guess of 9.84 million acres. Expected U.S. durum area for 2026 came in at 1.95 million acres, down 11% on the year.
Producers in North Dakota, the top spring wheat-producing state, are expected to plant 4.7 million acres this spring, down from 5.10 million in 2025. Minnesota is projected at 1.04 million acres, down from 1.15 million a year earlier. South Dakota is seen at 650,000 acres, down from 680,000, while Montana is expected to hold steady at 2.15 million acres.
As for durum, North Dakota area is pegged at 1.07 million acres, down from 1.23 million last year, while Montana is forecast at 800,000 acres, down from 890,000.
Key winter wheat producing states show mixed but generally softer trends. In the top production state of Kansas, winter wheat area is estimated at 7 million acres, down 300,000 from a year ago, while Oklahoma is pegged at 4.4 million, up from 4.15 million in 2025.
Soft Red winter wheat area in Michigan is estimated at 520,000 acres, down from 530,000, while Ohio is reported at 540,000 acres, down from 570,000.
