Days Before USDA Report, FBN Data Signals Corn is King for 2025

For the fifth year in a row, Farmers Business Network (FBN) has published its Planting Intentions Report for major crops including corn, soybeans, and wheat. FBN’s estimates were derived from a survey of almost 1,000 U.S. farmers that represent 2 million acres of total production.

These survey results were published less than a week before USDA is set to release its latest projections in the Prospective Plantings report scheduled for March 31, 2025. Grain and commodity markets are known to swing dramatically based on this report.

“With the tremendous uncertainty in the farm economy today, we’re proud to provide insights like these back to our farmer members who are trying to manage risk in a difficult pricing environment,” said Cody Bills, Director of U.S. Market Advisory & Brokerage for FBN.

Corn

FBN forecasted U.S. farmers will plant 95.5 million acres of corn in 2025. This is an increase of 4.9 million acres from last year.

Acres will be shifting out of soybeans and wheat to grow more corn, the company said. The biggest increase in estimated corn acreage was seen in Iowa and Kansas.

Soybeans

FBN forecasted U.S. farmers will plant 83.5 million acres of soybeans in 2025. This is a decrease of about 3.6 million acres from 2024.

Soybean acreage reductions were the largest in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana, according to FBN’s survey.

FBN notes, two factors could cause an even larger shift away from soybeans as the 2025 growing season unfolds.

First, if port fees rise dramatically for Chinese ships, trade could become much more costly for grain into China. “Shippers today are saying not much can be contracted into May,” said the FBN report.

Secondly, with dry weather conditions in the forecast that would allow for fast planting, corn acreage could increase if those conditions persist.

Wheat

FBN forecasted U.S. farmers will plant 46.3 million acres of all wheat in 2025. This is fewer total wheat acres than USDA estimated in February 2025. 

The company projected 34.1 million acres of winter wheat will be planted in 2025. These results are in line with USDA’s numbers published in February 2025.

FBN survey results noted a switch from winter wheat to planting corn in Kansas. In Texas, one-third winter wheat farmers moved acres into corn, one-third stayed flat, and one-third slightly increased winter wheat acres.

FBN Survey Methodology

The electronic survey used to derive these estimates was open to all U.S. FBN members from Feb. 11 to March 18, 2025. Participants submitted the respondent’s postal code, 2024 planted acres, and intended 2025 acres for key crops. Responses that were incomplete or inconsistent were removed from the analysis. All personally identifying and farm-related information was excluded from the published survey results. The crop acreage estimates were created by FBN’s Crop Marketing Advisory analysts.