Soybean, corn plantings to surge, survey shows

Kansas.com (The Wichita Eagle)
Posted on Fri, Mar. 19, 2010
BY JEFF WILSON
Bloomberg News

CHICAGO — Farmers will plant more soybeans than ever this year and the second-biggest area with corn since World War II, according to a survey of growers by Allendale Inc. Wheat acreage is expected to plummet.

Soybean plantings will rise 2.1 percent to 79.111 million acres from a record 77.451 million last year, Allendale said today in its 21st annual survey of farmers. Production will total 3.338 billion bushels, down from 3.359 billion last year, the biggest crop ever, based on a projected national yield of 42.7 bushels an acre.

The area sown with corn will total 90.152 million acres, up 4.2 percent from 86.482 million last year, Allendale said. The crop will be a record 13.243 billion bushels, based on a national yield of 160.4 bushels an acre, according to the McHenry, Ill.-based farm-market adviser and brokerage, which didn't disclose the number of farmers surveyed.

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