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Acreage forecast: Corn Belt sticks to rotation, fringe areas unclear

A market analyst says U.S. farmers in the Corn Belt are expected to stick to their crop rotation this spring alternating corn and soybeans.

Don Roose with U.S. Commodities tells Brownfield “it was a fall where farmers could apply some of their fertilizer before planting and the same thing this winter. I think that leads to the fact farmers are preparing to plant corn in the Midwest compared to soybeans.”

He says early planting estimates show U.S. corn acres declining slightly and soybean acres increasing slightly, but Roose says the fringe areas of the Corn Belt might take a different approach to planting.

Near the Bootheel of Missouri, farmer Brian Koenig says low corn prices might entice farmers to plant more rice, peanut and cotton.

“Their pencils say cotton might be more profitable this year.”

Koenig raises corn and soybeans on his farm and tells Brownfield he will reduce corn acres.

“I’m actually cutting back about 20% on corn acres and going with more soybeans just because of the economics of it and we’re not in a high yielding corn yield area.”

North-central South Dakota farmer Jeff Kippley says price and weather are the big decision makers in his state.

“If the conditions are good to go, corn is going to go in just like normal.”

U.S. planting intentions will be confirmed when USDA releases its Prospective Plantings report on Thursday, March 28.