By Ryan McGeeney
Arkansas farmers plan to reduce planted acreage for four of the state’s five major crops, including corn, cotton, peanuts and rice, in favor of soybeans during the 2026 planting season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Planned acreage for four of the state’s major commodity crops fell between 10 and 27 percent, while soybean acres rose 20 percent, according to the report. Planned Arkansas wheat acres remained unchanged from 2025, remaining at 110,000 acres.
The 2026 Prospective Plantings Report from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service gathered data from approximately 73,800 growers across the country during a March agricultural survey. The annual report is considered a bellwether of both commodity market conditions and farmers’ outlook.
Scott Stiles, extension agricultural economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said that overall, the survey results “had every crop moving in the expected direction.”
“For certain, there has been a clear indication for some time that there would be a sizeable increase in soybean acres and a sharp reduction in rice and cotton,” Stiles said. “Corn direction was a little more uncertain.”
Stiles noted the importance of the timing of USDA’s survey efforts for the report, which took place from Feb. 27 through March 17, given the military incursion into Iran in late February.
Source : uada.edu