If USDA's prospective planting estimates hold true, U.S. farmers will plant slightly more corn and slightly fewer beans in 2013 than they did in 2012.
USDA projects this year's corn acreage at 97.282 million acres, matching the average of analysts' estimates and up 100,000 from last year's total. If realized, that would be the largest corn acreage since the 1936 estimate of 102 million acres.
Soybean acreage is pegged at 77.126 million acres, 100,000 less than a year ago but still potentially the fourth largest ever, with Illinois and North Dakota expecting the largest increases and Minnesota and Nebraska anticipating the greatest decreases. Before the report, analysts, on average, saw bean acreage at 78.5 million acres.
All wheat acreage came out at 56.440 million acres, matching the average pre-report guess and a 1 percent year to year increase. Winter wheat acreage of 41.988 million acres is 2 percent above a year ago, with hard red winter at 28.9 million acres, soft red winter at 9.67 million, and white winter at 3.39 million acres. Non-durum spring wheat is pegged at 12.701 million acres, up 3 percent on the year with durum at 1.751 million acres, down 18 percent.
U.S. cotton acreage for all types is estimated at 10.026 million acres, 18 percent below 2012.
Still, the numbers are highly dependent on planting weather. USDA's weekly national crop progress numbers resumed April 1.
Selected crops for Brownfield coverage area:
Illinois: CORN: 12.200 million acres, down 5% from 2012; SOYBEANS: 9.400 million acres, up 4% from 2012; WINTER WHEAT: 830,000 acres, up 26% from 2012.
Indiana: CORN: 6.100 million acres, down 2% from 2012; SOYBEANS: 5.100 million acres, down 1% from 2012; WINTER WHEAT: 470,000 acres, up 34% from 2012.
Iowa: CORN: 14.200 million acres, unchanged from 2012; SOYBEANS: 9.400 million acres, up 1% from 2012; WINTER WHEAT: 40,000 acres, up 122% from 2012.
Minnesota: CORN: 9.000 million acres, up 3% from 2012; SOYBEANS: 6.800 million acres, down 4% from 2012; WINTER WHEAT: 50,000 acres, up 25% from 2012; SPRING WHEAT: 1.350 million acres, unchanged from 2012.
Missouri: CORN: 3.400 million acres, down 6% from 2012; SOYBEANS: 5.300 million acres, down 2% from 2012; WINTER WHEAT: 1.100 million acres, up 39% from 2012; COTTON: 270,000 acres, down 23% from 2012.
Nebraska: CORN: 9.900 million acres, down 1% from 2012; SOYBEANS: 4.700 million acres, down 7% from 2012; WINTER WHEAT: 1.450 million acres, up 5% from 2012.
Ohio: CORN: 3.950 million acres, up 1% from 2012; SOYBEANS: 4.650 million acres, up 1% from 2012; WINTER WHEAT: 630,000 acres, up 26% from 2012.
South Dakota: CORN: 5.900 million acres, down 4% from 2012; SOYBEANS: 4.600 million acres, down 3% from 2012; WINTER WHEAT: 1.250 million acres, down 5% from 2012; DURUM: 8,000 acres, up 60% from 2012; SPRING WHEAT: 1.110 million acres, up 2% from 2012.
Wisconsin: CORN: 4.350 million acres, unchanged from 2012; SOYBEANS: 1.700 million acres, down 1% from 2012; WINTER WHEAT: 320,000 acres, up 21% from 2012.
Source: brownfieldagnews.com