WASHINGTON — Farmers plan to plant 92 million acres of corn across the country this year, up 4% from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released March 31 by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
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.
Soybean growers intend to plant 87.5 million acres in 2023, up slightly from last year. Record high acreage is expected in Ohio, Illinois, Nebraska, New York and Wisconsin.
Nationally, all wheat planted area for 2023 is estimated at 49.9 million acres, up 9% from 2022. The 2023 winter wheat planted area, at 37.5 million acres, is up 13% from last year and up 2% from the previous estimate. Of this total, about 26 million acres are hard red winter, 7.8 million acres are soft red winter, and 3.71 million acres are white winter.
Ohio
Ohio corn producers intend to plant 3.45 million acres this spring, up 1% from last year. Ohio soybean acreage is forecast at 5.1 million acres for 2023, unchanged from last year. Hay acreage for 2023 is estimated at 820,000 acres, down 1% from 2022. This includes alfalfa, grain and all other types of hay intended to be harvested for dry hay.
Pennsylvania
Growers across Pennsylvania intend to plant 1.31 million acres of corn, up 11% from last year. Soybean planted area in 2023 is estimated at 590,000, down 2% from last year. Hay area harvested is estimated at 1.36 million acres, up 1% 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.
