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USDA acreage numbers surprise

The USDA’s 2019 acreage numbers might have created more questions than they answered.

The department has planted area for corn at 91.7 million, up 3% from 2018, and while that is down from March’s prospective planting report, it’s larger than what the USDA was expecting just a couple of weeks ago in the supply and demand update. It also topped all pre-report estimates. The USDA has planted area steady to higher in 40 of the 48 states used for the estimate and 92% of the crop has some biotech trait, unchanged from a year ago. The area harvested for grain is seen at 83.595 million acres, 2% higher than last year, also down from March, but up from mid-June.

Soybeans are pegged at 80.040 million acres, a decrease of 10%, the lowest U.S. planted area since 2013, and about 5 million acres less than the prospective planting report. It’s also below what most analysts were expecting. 94% of the seed used was a herbicide resistant variety. The USDA has lower than a year ago planted area for all 29 states used in the estimate. Harvested area is seen at 79.266 million acres, compared to 88.11 million.

The planting pace for both crops has been historically slow because of wet weather and flooding in some of the biggest production areas and overall, U.S. crop acreage is down slightly from 2018 at a total of 309.312 million acres.

All wheat acreage was very close to expectations at 45.609 million, 5% less than last year, and the lowest on record, with a 2% decrease in winter wheat to 31.778 million acres and a 6% drop for spring wheat at 12.43 million, while durum is projected at 1.401 million acres, a decline of 32%. Harvested area for all wheat this year is estimated at 38.405 million acres, with winter at 24.924 million, spring at 12.125 million acres, and durum at 1.356 million.

The USDA says it will resurvey corn, soybean, cotton, and sorghum producers in 14 U.S. states, with the results to be published in August.

The prevent plant numbers are scheduled for August.

Spring wheat acreage for Minnesota and South Dakota:

Minnesota: Spring Wheat: Planted: 1.53 million acres, down 80,000 from 2018; Harvested: 1.48 million acres, 90,000 lower than a year ago

South Dakota: Spring Wheat: Planted: 800,000 acres, down 250,000 from 2018; Harvested: 770,000 acres, 195,000 lower than a year ago