Southern Acreage Shifts Toward Soybeans and Cotton in 2026 Planting Intentions

Apr 06, 2026

The USDA released the 2026 Prospective Plantings Report on March 31. Nationally, producers intend to plant fewer corn acres and more soybeans and cotton. Corn acreage is projected at 95.3 million acres, down 3.5 percent from the 2025 actual planted acreage, while soybean acreage is expected to increase 4.3 percent to 84.7 million acres. Cotton acreage is also forecast higher, up 3.8 percent to 9.64 million acres. These shifts reflect relative price signals and input cost considerations that have increasingly favored soybeans and cotton over corn in many areas.

In the Southern region, prospective plantings generally follow national trends, though the magnitude varies across states. Texas, the largest corn producing state in the South, is projected to increase acreage by 4 percent to 2.6 million acres. Kentucky, the second largest corn state in the region, is projected to reduce acreage by 4.6 percent, to 1.45 million acres. Meanwhile, the third largest corn state in the region, Tennessee, is projected to increase acreage by 7.5 percent, to 1.0 million acres. Mississippi is projected to see the largest decline, down 31 percent to 630 thousand acres, followed by Arkansas, down 27 percent to 590 thousand acres.

For soybeans, the Southern region is projected to increase planted acreage by 10 percent, led by Arkansas and Mississippi. Arkansas is projected to plant 3.1 million acres, up 19.7 percent from last year, while Mississippi is expected at 2.3 million acres, up 27.1 percent. Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee round out the top five soybean states in the region, with acreage changes of 2.8 percent, 4.3 percent, and no change, respectively.

For cotton, the Southern region is projected to increase planted acreage by 4 percent to 8.94 million acres. Texas continues to dominate regional production, with acreage rising 3.7 percent to 5.52 million acres. Several states are projected to see notable gains, including Louisiana, up 22.2 percent, Tennessee, up 22 percent, North Carolina, up 19.3 percent, Oklahoma, up 15.4 percent, and Georgia, up 7.8 percent. In contrast, acreage declines are expected in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Virginia, down 9.6 percent, 9.1 percent, and 4.1 percent respectively. Meanwhile Alabama and South Carolina are projected to see no change.

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.