Market News & Headlines >> USDA to Resurvey Crop Acreage

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced on Friday that it will collect updated information in 14 states during July on 2019 acres planted to corn, cotton, sorghum, and soybeans. 

NASS previously collected planted acreage information during the first two weeks of June, with the results published in Friday’s Crop Acreage report, but planting delays due to excessive rainfall meant that some acres still had to be planted for those crops at the time of the survey. 

NASS will be seeking updated information on planted acres for corn in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, as well as cotton in Arkansas; sorghum in Kansas; and soybeans in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, the agency said in a press release on its website. 

If the newly collected data justify any changes, NASS will publish updated acreage estimates in the Crop Production report to be released at noon ET on Monday, Aug. 12. 

The NASS announcement should come as no surprise to the corn and soybean trade with planting of both crops progressing at the slowest pace on record going back to 1980.  Only about two-thirds of the U.S. corn crop and a little over one-third of the soybean crop had been planted by June 1 when NASS started surveying for planted acres. As of June 30, 8% of intended U.S. soybean acreage had yet to be planted.