U.S. Farmers to Shift 6% More Acres to Soybeans Amid Price Pressures

Event summary

  • CoBank projects U.S. soybean acreage to rise 5.9% to 86M acres in 2026, pulling land from corn, wheat, cotton, and rice.
  • Corn acreage expected to drop 4.8% to 94M acres as farmers rotate away from last year's record plantings.
  • Spring wheat acres to decline 1% to 9.89M acres due to weaker yield performance.
  • U.S. cotton acreage projected to fall 1% to 9.19M acres, the lowest in 11 years.
  • Rice acreage to hit 30-year low at 2.83M acres, down 20% YoY.

The big picture

The shift toward soybeans reflects broader challenges in U.S. agriculture, including low crop prices, high production costs, and trade disruptions. CoBank's analysis highlights how farmers are responding to economic signals by rotating crops to maximize profit potential. The decline in corn and wheat acreage also signals potential long-term structural changes in U.S. farmland allocation.

What we're watching

Price Volatility
Whether late-winter price movements will alter planting decisions before spring.
Trade Dependence
How continued Chinese demand for soybeans will sustain U.S. export volumes.
Regulatory Impact
The effect of EPA's renewable volume obligation on soybean market dynamics.