US farmers expect to plant more corn and soybean acreage

Producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant 92.0 million acres of corn in 2023, up 4% from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released today by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Planted acreage intentions for corn are up or unchanged in 40 of the 48 estimating states. The largest increase is expected in North Dakota, where producers intend to plant 800,000 more acres than in 2022. If realized, the planted area of corn in Arizona and Idaho will be the largest on record.

In Wisconsin, farmers intent to plant 3.95 million acres of corn in 2023, unchanged from last year.

Soybean growers intend to plant 87.5 million acres in 2023, up slightly from last year. Acreage increases from last year of 100,000 or more are expected in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Record high acreage is expected in Illinois, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin where producers intend to plant 2.3 million acres of soybeans. This is 140,000 acres higher than last year.

Wisconsin farmers intend to plant 175,000 acres of oats for all purposes, up 35,000 acres from last year. Winter wheat planted area is estimated at 290,000 acres, down 15,000 acres from last year. 

The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers’ 2023 planting intentions. NASS’s acreage estimates are based on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March from a sample of nearly 73,000 farm operators across the nation. Other key findings in the report are:

• All wheat planted area for 2023 is estimated at 49.9 million acres, up 9% from 2022.
• Winter wheat planted area, at 37.5 million acres, is up 2% from the previous estimate and up 13% from last year.
• Area planted to other spring wheat for 2023 is expected to total 10.6 million acres, down 2% from 2022.
• Durum wheat is expected to total 1.78 million acres for 2023, up 9% from last year.
• All cotton planted area for 2023 is expected to total 11.3 million acres, 18% below last year.

Today, NASS also released the quarterly Grain Stocks report to provide estimates of on-farm and off-farm stocks as of March 1. Key findings in that report include :

• Corn stocks totaled 7.40 billion bushels, down 5% from the same time last year. On-farm corn stocks were up 1% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were down 10%.
• Soybeans stored totaled 1.69 billion bushels, down 13% from March 1, 2022. On-farm soybean stocks were down slightly from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were down 21%.
• All wheat stored totaled 946 million bushels, down 8% from a year ago. On-farm all wheat stocks went up 30% from last year, while off-farm stocks went down 16%.
• Durum wheat stored totaled 35.8 million bushels, up 18% from March 1, 2022. On-farm Durum stocks were up 36% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks of Durum wheat were up 6%.

In Wisconsin, corn stored in all positions on March 1, 2023, totaled 314 million bushels, down 5 percent from last year. Of the total stocks, nearly half was stored on-farm. The Dec.-Feb. 2023 indicated the disappearance total 101 million bushels, similar to the 101 million bushels from the same quarter the previous year.

Soybeans stored in all positions in Wisconsin on March 1, totaled 52.7 million bushels, down 4 percent from this time last year. Of the total stocks, 27 percent was stored on-farm. Indicated disappearance was 36.8 million bushels, 17 percent above the 31.4 million bushels from the same quarter in 2022.

Colleen Kottke of the Wisconsin State Farmer contributed to this report.