By Ryan McGeeney
Total acreage for three of Arkansas’ principal row crops — cotton, rice and soybeans — dropped from growers’ March forecasts, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report published Monday.
The June 30 Acreage Report typically bookends the planting season, following USDA’s annual Prospective Plantings Report, published March 31. Data for both reports is drawn from grower surveys, reflecting both pre-season hopes and mid-season realities.
Overall, acreage for Arkansas’ principal row crops fell 289,000 acres between the two reports, from an estimated 5.8 million acres to 5.5 million acres.
Scott Stiles, extension agricultural economics program associate for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the reduced acreage for some row crops came as little surprise to industry experts.
Source : uada.edu