News

Corn concentration potentially in Western Plains and Upper Midwest

A market analyst expects a significant shift to more corn acres in the Western Plains and Upper Midwest this year.

Matt Bennett with AgMarket.Net says a trend has emerged within planting surveys to growers and from talking with farmers during the winter.

“Whenever I get north of I-80 and farther west, I’ve asked in every room I’ve been in this winter how many of you are going to plant more corn as part of your rotation than what you did a year ago. And especially when I move into those areas I’ll tell you what, a lot of hands go up.”

He tells Brownfield some of the draw for corn in that part of the country has to do with limited soybean yield potential.

“You get up in those areas and (farmers) say ‘we can’t raise that good of beans, so they’re really struggling to get their head wrapped around how they can make $9.60, $9.70 fall cash bids work with a 60 or 65 APH?”

Nationwide, AgMarket.Net is forecasting 2025 corn acreage at more than 95.3 million acres and soybeans at 82.75 million.