By Rhonda Miller
Spring is casting its welcome sense of hope across the Bluegrass State, especially among farmers.
A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows Kentucky farmers intend to plant more acres in corn and soybeans this year than in 2020.
The USDA Prospective Plantings report found Kentucky farmers anticipating 1,550,000 acres of corn this spring. That’s 60,000 more acres than the previous year.
And farmers are preparing to plant about 100,000 more acres of soybeans this year, compared to last year.
David Knopf is regional director of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, based in Louisville. He said prices for both crops this year look much better than 2020.
“The situation last year going into planting season, in terms of the possible revenue from crops, was very dismal," said Knopf. "Farmers were looking at either just break even kinds of prices or prices that would not even support the cost of producing the commodities.”
Knopf said, for example, corn went from about $3.50 a bushel at this time last year, to now about $5.50 a bushel.
He said international trade makes this a promising year for Kentucky agricultural products.
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