(SPRINGFIELD) In yesterday’s USDA prospective plantings report, while U.S. farmers intend to plant 95.3 million acres of corn this spring, down 3% from last year, they plan to plant 84.7 million acres of soybeans, a 4% increase from a year ago. The estimates are based on surveys completed by nearly 74,000 farm operators across the nation during the first two weeks of March. In Illinois, farmers intend to plant 10.9 million acres of corn this spring, down 3% from last year, and 10.5 million acres of beans, up 2% for a year ago. Meanwhile, the 2026 U.S. wheat planted area is estimated at 43.8 million acres, down 3% from 2025. The winter wheat planted area, at 32.4 million acres, is 2% lower from both the previous estimate and from a year ago.
