US farmers ended up planting considerably more corn this spring than last year, and fewer soybeans.
The USDA’s acreage report Monday pegged 2025 nationwide corn acres at 95.203 million. That is up 5.1% or about 4.75 million from the previous year. March intentions were slightly higher at 95.326 and the average pre-report trade guess of 90.35 million. This represents the third highest planted acreage in the United States since 1944.
On the other hand, national soybean planted area was estimated at 83.38 million, down 4.2% on the year and a slight drop from the March intentions of 83.495 million and below the average trade guess of 83.66 million.
Corn, soybean, and wheat futures were trading slightly lower following the report’s release.
Growers expect to harvest 86.77 million acres of corn this year, up 5% from last year, while soybean harvested area is seen at 82.54 million acres, down 1% from 2024.
In the No. 1 production state of Iowa, corn acres are now estimated at 13.5 million, unchanged from intentions and up from 12.9 million in 2024. Soybean area in the state was estimated at 9.5 million acres in today’s report, down from 9.6 million in March and down from the 10.05 million planted in 2024.
Illinois corn area came in at 11.0 million acres, down from 11.1 million acres from the March intentions, and down 3% on the year, while soybean area was reported at 10.5 million acres, on par with March estimate of 10.5 million acres but still below 10.8 million last year.
Around the Great Lakes, Michigan producers reported planting 2.4 million acres of corn this year, up slightly from 2.30 million in March and up from 2.25 in 2024. Soybean acres in the state, at an 2.0 million, were down from 2.15 million in March and 2.20 million a year earlier. Corn planted area in Ohio was estimated at 3.2 million acres, versus intentions of 3.25 million and last year’s 3.4 million. Soybean acres in Ohio were reported at 4.90 million acres, down from 5.1 million in March and from 5.05 million in 2024.
North Dakota producers indicated corn area at 4.25 million acres, up slightly from intentions of 4.2 million acres and up 7.6% from a year earlier. Soybean acres in the state were reported at 6.6 million acres, up from March intentions of 6.2 million and even with last year’s 6.6 million acres.
