USDA_PLANTINGS
USDA Prospective Plantings & Acreage
USDA’s twice-yearly acreage surveys — farmers’ planting intentions in March, actual planted area in June — set each crop year’s supply ceiling.
| Published by | US Department of Agriculture (USDA) |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Prospective Plantings late March · Acreage late June |
| Release time | 12:00 PM ET |
What it measures
Prospective Plantings surveys what farmers intend to plant; Acreage reports what actually went in the ground. Acreage × yield = production, so these reports bound the entire new-crop supply math.
Why traders watch it
- The corn-versus-soybean acreage battle each March is a defining trade of the ag calendar.
- June Acreage catches weather-forced switches and prevented planting — routinely a shock.
How to read it
- Corn and soybean acres versus expectations, and the sum (total intended area) versus available land.
- Cross-read with new-crop price ratios that drove planting decisions.
FAQ
How can intentions differ so much from June actuals?
Weather. A wet spring forces acres out of corn into soybeans or into prevented-planting claims. That switch is exactly what the June report measures.
Why does acreage matter more than yield in spring?
Yield is still a weather lottery in spring; acreage is the first hard number in the production equation. It anchors every new-crop balance sheet.
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