(Washington, D.C., March 31, 2026) – Producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant 95.3 million acres of corn in 2026, down 3% from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released today by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Planted acreage intentions for corn are down in 37 of the 48 estimating states. Acreage decreases of 300,000 acres or more from last year are expected in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. If realized, the area of corn planted in Nevada and Washington will be the largest on record, while Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island will be the smallest on record. 

Soybean growers intend to plant 84.7 million acres in 2026, up 4% from last year. Acreage increases from last year of 300,000 or more are expected in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Record high acreage is expected in Wisconsin.

The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers’ 2026 planting intentions. NASS acreage estimates are based on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March from a sample of nearly 74,000 farm operators across the nation. Other key findings in the report are:

  • All wheat planted area for 2026 is estimated at 43.8 million acres, down 3% from 2025.
  • Winter wheat planted area, at 32.4 million acres, is down 2% from both the previous estimate and from last year.
  • Area planted to other spring wheat for 2026 is expected to total 9.42 million acres, down 6% from 2025.
  • Durum wheat planted is expected to total 1.95 million acres for 2026, down 11% from last year.
  • All cotton planted area for 2026 is expected to total 9.64 million acres, up 4% compared to last year.

Today, NASS also released the quarterly Grain Stocks report to provide estimates of on-farm and off-farm stocks as of March 1. Key findings in that report include:

  • Corn stocks totaled 9.02 billion bushels, up 11% from the same time last year. On-farm corn stocks were up 21% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were down 2%.
  • Soybeans stored totaled 2.10 billion bushels, up 10% from March 1, 2025. On-farm soybean stocks were up 3% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were up 16%.
  • All wheat stored totaled 1.30 billion bushels, up 5% from a year ago. On-farm all wheat stocks were down 3% from last year, while off-farm stocks were up 8%.
  • Durum wheat stored totaled 46.5 million bushels, up 21% from March 1, 2025. On-farm Durum stocks were up 40% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks of Durum wheat were down 4%.

The Prospective Plantings, Grain Stocks, and all other NASS reports are available online at nass.usda.gov.