WASHINGTON, March 31, 2022 – Producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant a record high 91.0 million acres of soybeans in 2022, up 4% from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released today by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers’ 2022 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.

Planted acreage intentions for soybeans are up or unchanged in 24 of the 29 estimating states. The largest increases are expected in Illinois and Missouri, where producers in each state intend to plant 400,000 more acres than in 2021. If realized, the planted area of soybeans in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin will be the largest on record.

Corn growers intend to plant 89.5 million acres in 2022, down 4% from last year. Acreage decreases from last year of 200,000 or more are expected in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Record high acreage is expected in Nevada and South Dakota. Record low acreage is expected in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Other key findings in the report are:

All wheat planted area for 2022 is estimated at 47.4 million acres, up 1% from 2021. This represents the fifth lowest all wheat planted area since records began in 1919.

  • Winter wheat planted area, at 34.2 million acres, is down less than 1% from the previous estimate but up 2% from last year. This is the 10th lowest planted acreage on record.
  • Area planted to other spring wheat for 2022 is expected to total 11.2 million acres, down 2% from 2021.
  • Durum wheat is expected to total 1.92 million acres for 2022, up 17% from last year.
  • All cotton planted area for 2022 is expected to total 12.2 million acres, 9% above last year.

 

Grain Stocks:

  • Corn Stocks Up 2 Percent from March 2021
  • Soybean Stocks Up 24 Percent
  • All Wheat Stocks Down 22 Percent

Corn stocks in all positions on March 1, 2022 totaled 7.85 billion bushels, up 2 percent from March 1, 2021. Of the total stocks, 4.08 billion bushels were stored on farms, up 1 percent from a year earlier. Off-farm stocks, at 3.77 billion bushels, are up 3 percent from a year ago. The December 2021 - February 2022 indicated disappearance is 3.79 billion bushels, compared with 3.60 billion bushels during the same period last year.

Soybeans stored in all positions on March 1, 2022 totaled 1.93 billion bushels, up 24 percent from March 1, 2021. Soybean stocks stored on farms are estimated at 750 million bushels, up 26 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 1.18 billion bushels, are up 22 percent from last March. Indicated disappearance for the December 2021 - February 2022 quarter totaled 1.22 billion bushels, down 12 percent from the same period a year earlier.

All wheat stored in all positions on March 1, 2022 totaled 1.02 billion bushels, down 22 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks are estimated at 174 million bushels, down 39 percent from last March. Off-farm stocks, at 850 million bushels, are down 17 percent from a year ago. The December 2021 - February 2022 indicated disappearance is 353 million bushels, 10 percent below the same period a year earlier.

Durum wheat stocks in all positions on March 1, 2022 totaled 29.7 million bushels, down 30 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks, at 12.6 million bushels, are down 44 percent from March 1, 2021. Off-farm stocks totaled 17.1 million bushels, down 13 percent from a year ago. The December 2021 - February 2022 indicated disappearance of 12.3 million bushels is 37 percent below the same period a year earlier.