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Some acreage shifts anticipated for southern crops in 2025

An extension ag economist says he’s expecting some acreage shifts for southern crops in 2025.

“There’s a lot to consider. What input costs do and the price of competing crops.”

Scott Stiles at the University of Arkansas says cotton prices have declined a lot this year and continued price challenges will affect acres.

“Some are throwing around a 10% reduction and others a 20% reduction. These price levels are too low to cover production costs.”

He says there could be a slight reduction in rice acres, but it depends on competing crops.

“The price of soybeans will compete for acres on the same ground so we’ll see what soybean prices do. The outlook for soybeans could be fairly flat in the year ahead. We might not see a lot of change in rice acres for the upcoming year.”

In the meantime, harvest continues for southern crops like rice and cotton. USDA says more than 90% of U.S. rice has been harvested and more than 30% of cotton has been harvested, both ahead of schedule.