Feb 27, 2019

Spring Weather could Impact 2019 Corn and Soy Acreage in U.S.

Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.

During their annual Outlook Meeting last week in Washington, the USDA estimated that the 2019 U.S. corn acreage would increase 2.9 million acres from 89.1 million in 2018 to 92.0 million in 2019. They also forecasted a nationwide corn yield of 176.0 bushels per acre.

For soybeans, they estimated that the 2019 U.S. soybean acreage would decline 4.2 million acres from 89.2 million in 2018 to 85.0 million in 2019. They also forecasted a nationwide soybean yield of 49.5 bushels per acre.

My initial impression was that they may have been overly aggressive in reducing the soybean acreage by 4.2 million acres. The acreage mix in the U.S. can be influenced by the spring weather. The weather pattern could change going forward, but as of now, it does not look like we are going to have an early spring in the U.S. Below are some of the reasons why it might be a late spring and the potential implications for the U.S. crop acreage.