By Ryan Hanrahan
Reuters’ Karl Plume reported that “the Iran war has upended the planting intentions of U.S. farmers, resulting in fewer acres of corn and the lowest quantity of spring wheat planted since 1970 as rising fertilizer and fuel costs and low grain prices dim the outlook for profits, analysts said ahead of a U.S. government report due on Tuesday.”
“Soybean seedings, meanwhile, are expected to jump as some growers shift acres away from corn and wheat, which require more costly fertilizer, they said,” according to Plume’s reporting. “Farmers are entering the critical spring planting season under a cloud of uncertainty as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupts global trade, causing fertilizer and diesel costs to spike. The long-term U.S. trade relationship with China also remains unclear amid the ongoing trade war launched by President Donald Trump’s administration with the top soy importer.”
“Analysts polled by Reuters, on average, projected corn plantings to drop to 94.371 million acres, down from 98.788 million acres in 2025, which was the most since 1936. Soybean seedings were seen at 85.549 million acres, up from 81.215 million a year ago,” Plume reported. “Plantings of spring wheat, grown in the northern Plains, are forecast to drop to 9.843 million acres, down from 9.990 million last year and the lowest since 1970. Prices for the high-protein grain have slumped since a record Canadian harvest last year.”
“Farmers in the U.S. Midwest farm belt normally rotate their fields with corn one year and soybeans the next to preserve soil health and maximize yield potential. But profit projections and input costs can prompt farmers to deviate from their crop rotations in some fields,” Plume reported. “‘The fertilizer cost and fertilizer availability are the main drivers right now,’ said Rich Nelson, chief strategist with Allendale. ‘But I would point out that we have questions about whether the USDA’s report will show the true story.'”
Source : illinois.edu