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Today, at USDA’s 101st annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, the agency released the 2025/2026 Grains and Oilseeds Outlook. The outlook pegged U.S. corn and wheat acres higher year-over-year while soybean acres were expected to decrease. The outlook assumed normal weather conditions.
Combined, USDA estimated U.S. farmers will plant 225 million acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat, up less than 1% from the previous crop year.
Corn
In the report, USDA attributed corn’s boosted acres to “favorable prices relative to competing crops such as soybeans, cotton, and sorghum.”
| 2024/2025 Planted Acres | 2025/2026 Planted Acres Projection | |
| Corn | 90.6 million | 94 million |
“The U.S. corn outlook for 2025/2026 is for higher production, greater domestic use, lower exports, and higher ending stocks,” said USDA in the report. “The corn crop is projected at a record 15.585 billion bushels, up about 5% from the prior year. Corn planted area is forecast at 94 million acres, up 3.4 million from a year ago. The yield projection of 181 bushels per acre is based on a weather-adjusted trend assuming normal planting progress and summer growing season weather. With beginning stocks down from the prior year, total corn supplies are forecast at a record 17.150 billion bushels.”
Soybeans
USDA said the lower soybean projection was a reflection of lower prices, “driven in part by large supplies in South America.”
| 2024/2025 Planted Acres | 2025/2026 Planted Acres Projection | |
| Soybeans | 87.1 million | 84 million |
“Larger global supplies leading to downward pressure on prices is expected to boost demand for oilseeds, meals, and oils in 2025/2026,” said USDA in the report. “Soybean production in Brazil, which was relatively equal to U.S. production only six years ago, surged in the last several years on higher demand from China, lower relative cost to expand planted area, and a weak currency. Brazil is harvesting a crop in 2025 that is expected to be 1.8 billion bushels larger or over 40% higher than the U.S. harvest in 2024. With supplies outpacing demand over the next several months, South American stocks at the beginning of the 2025 U.S. harvest will be larger compared to prior years.”
Wheat
USDA said the forecast for higher wheat acres was primarily reflecting an increase in winter wheat planted acres.
| 2024/2025 Planted Acres | 2025/2026 Planted Acres Projection | |
| Wheat | 46.1 million | 47 million |
“The 2025/2026 U.S. wheat outlook is for higher supplies, unchanged total use, and increased ending stocks,” said USDA in the report. “U.S. wheat production is projected 2% below 2024/2025 at 1.926 billion bushels on a slight reduction in harvested area and a lower yield.”
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