USDA predicts 5% drop in corn acreage for 2024
March 28, 2024
BY Erin Voegele
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is predicting a 5% decline in corn planted acres for 2024, according to the agency’s annual Prospective Plantings report, which was released March 28.
Corn planted area for all purposes for this year is estimated at 90 million acres, down 4.61 million acres when compared to 2023.
Planted acreage intentions for corn are down or unchanged in 38 of the 48 estimating states. Acreage decreases of 300,000 acres or more are expected in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas. If realized, the planted area of corn in Arizona and Oregon will be the largest on record.
The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers’ 2024 planting intentions. NASS’s acreage estimates are based on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March from a sample of nearly 72,000 farm operators across the nation.
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NASS also on March 28 released its latest quarterly Grain Stocks report, which provides an estimate of on-farm and off-farm stocks as of March 1. According to that report, corn stocks totaled 8.35 million bushels as of March 1, up 13% when compared to the same time last year. On-farm corn stocks were up 24% while off-farm stocks were down 1%.
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